Old Endings & New Beginnings
by TheWritingGirl23
Summary: The new recruits of the Xavier Institute have faced their first great challenge, but their problems don't end there. Next they will have to take on a challenge that can't be defeated with powers alone. After all, prejudice can't be fought with fists. Will they be able to overcome bias and bigotry, or will it spilt them apart? OC & canon cast.
1. New Beginnings

**Here it is, the first chapter. Hope I introduced well, and please review so I know how I did. I tried to introduce a good amount of characters, minor and lead, so you all don't have to wait to see your OC pop up. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution, many of the characters and OCs, no other recognizable merchandise, blah, blah, blah, you all know the drill, I'm not making any money.**

**Chapter 1 – New Beginnings**

The girl slid gracefully from the car, her skirt bunching around her legs. She lifted her head to peer around the vast expanse of the grounds. A long stone pathway wound like a snake before her, twisting around a majestic fountain to the doors of a beautiful, many-windowed mansion. Surrounding the great building were soft green lawns, and small woods. The leaves rustled, not yet fallen so early in the autumn. The clean scent coming from the bay curled around her and loosened the tightened muscles in her back and neck, releasing some of the pent up tension.

The girl was jerked from her reverie with the harsh bray of the car horn, signaling the departure of her parents. They had said their goodbyes in the car. The nervous girl straightened the beads adorning her sari, trying to restrain the squeak of fear that was threatening to burst from her lungs.

"Easy, Dalaja. It is perfectly alright, you will be fine," the girl chanted repeatedly in her head. Clearing her throat and summoning her courage, she hoisted the two suitcases that lay at her feet and strode toward the mansion. She was getting a nasty tremulous feeling deep in her stomach which she was well familiar with. She shut her eyes again, feeling the moisture beginning to pool on her brow, dampening her dark locks. "Keep it together, don't let it get to you," she willed silently, praying her mutation didn't leave her an evaporating puddle in the blazing sun on her very first day here.

Her head tilted upward to gaze up at her new home. She let the sun soak into her tan skin and reflect for a moment off her shockingly blue eyes, unnatural for her nationality. Suddenly, a voice behind her spoke up.

"Hi. It's nice to see that I'm not the only one walking up to this place. I was so scared this morning I couldn't eat my waffles." Dalaja turned to meet, well not really meet, she had to look down slightly to meet the light hazel eyes of the angel blonde girl that had come up behind her silently. She was very petite with a still child-like face. White-gold curls bounced around her freckled cheeks and a shy smile graced her lips.

Dalaja was silent for a moment. She was not used to being approached in a friendly manner by anyone, ever since she had moved to this country from India. There was an awkward silence.

"Well, uh, hi again, my name is Bridget." The blonde stuttered out, blushing a brilliant pink to match her tank top, and sticking out a hand with pink and black painted fingernails.

Dalaja realized the girl was sincere, and she also felt an inkling of amusement and liking towards the small girl. She grinned at Bridget and took her hand for the offered shake. "Dalaja Mantri," she stated, "it's nice to meet you as well." Bridget smiled, flashing pearl-white teeth.

"I like your name. Mind if I call you Dala?" Dalaja didn't mind, thinking she was really going to like this girl. "Come on, we might as well go in. Now or never." Bridget linked her arm through Dala's and led her up the stone steps to the doors of the mansion.

Once in the grand foyer, both girls stopped for a moment to gape in awe. The plush red carpet spread out around them. Several doorways opened into hallways leading away, and a marble staircase led up to the second floor of the mansion. Several chandeliers hung from the ceiling glowing with golden light. A couple plush-looking chairs lined near the walls and house plants added an air of freshness and greenery to the glamorous surroundings. Bridget and Dala both marveled at the fact that this was now their home.

A voice called to them, and they both turned to see a beautiful woman with silver-white hair gliding toward them. _Literally_ gliding towards them, her feet drifting six inches off the ground. They gawped as the queenlike woman touched down to the floor, her electric blue eyes appraising the two girls with a friendly air accompanying a warm smile.

"More new recruits. Welcome to Xavier's Institue for Gifted Youngsters. I am Ororo Munroe, but you can call me Storm. Now please, come this way children. The others are congregating on the rear lawn, we should join them." Storm turned and strode away back down the hallway she had entered from. Dala and Bridget looked at each other, and with grins of mounting excitement, they scampered after Storm down the hallway.

On the second floor of the mansion, a man peered from the window of his office. His brown eyes beneath his deep brows sparkled with warmth as he observed the growing mass on the lawn below him. A new year was beginning, Professor Charles Xavier thought. That summer all hope had almost been lost with the ascension of the immortal mutant Apocalypse. Then he had nearly believed that all that they stood for, and even the world they lived for was doomed. Now, four months later, hope and livelihood were restored. The New Mutants had graduated to the full status of x-men, and new recruits were coming in almost constantly.

The professor looked down on the crowd of teenaged mutants. He could see the entirely new faces, and also spotted those who had joined during the summer. He could also see the tall and muscled figure of Piotr Rasputin, the former Acolyte of Magneto. After the Apocalypse fiasco, Magneto had retreated from his mutant superiority campaign and had yet to reappear. His group had disbanded: the Australian Pyro now lived with the Brotherhood, Sabertooth had vanished almost immediately, and Colossus, after freeing his family from Magneto's clutches, had joined the x-men. As for the fourth and last of the Acolytes, the Professor could see the young man skulking in the shadows bordering the north forest, red eyes gleaming faintly in the dusky shade. Gambit had only arrived two weeks previously, a tatty rucksack on the back of his motorbike. His reasons for joining the X-Men were still foggy, which Scott and Logan found reason enough to tail the theif almost 24/7, waiting for whatever stunt they were sure he would pull. The professor sincerely hoped that both Gambit and Colossus would earn the trust of their teammates with time.

There was a sudden and rather violent rap on his office door. The professor turned his gaze away from the window. _"Come in please."_ He telepathically answered the knocker.

The door swung open revealing a short but well-muscled man with blue-black hair with sideburns, and a rather dark expression.

"Ah, Logan. What can I do for you?"

"Just droppin' in to say we're almost ready to start Chuck." Logan padded over to peer out the window as well. He let out a weary sigh, exasperation accompanying the sigh as a deep rumble in his chest. "Even more of 'em. Soon I won't even be able to get a beer without tripping over some rampaging kid."

The professor smiled. He knew Logan liked to put on the irritated loner façade, but the man's good heart betrayed the gruff outward appearance.

"Ya know Chuck, I still think it was a mistake to let the kids choose their own uniforms this year. The little ladies'll all end up dressin' like hookers, and the others are headed straight for that moronic Matrix-trench coat look. It's bad enough Gumbo wears the thing, we don't need ten more kids prancin' around in 'em. I swear, I see one pair of heels in my Danger Room, those same heels will be runnin' the wearer all around Bayville for two days."

"Don't worry Logan, we'll make sure their uniforms are appropriate for their training. And we must try to have a positive outlook for this coming year. Remember that only a few months ago, we weren't even sure this year would ever come." Logan nodded in silent agreement.

"Well then," the professor declared. "Let us go down to meet the new students."

The alarm on the clock beeped insistently, seemingly trying its hardest to wake the late sleeper in the bed next to it. A pale white arm slithered out from beneath the covers, groped for a moment on the bedside table, then smashed the snooze button to silence. The covers twitched, and a rumpled head of auburn hair with white bangs lifted zombie-like from the mess of blankets. Grey-green eyes blinked for a moment, then flew wide at the bright sunlight streaming into the room.

"Ah man! Ah can't believe that ah slept in, taday of all days." Rogue leapt from the bed, propelling herself toward her closet. She ripped out a dark green long sleeve, black jeans, her boots, and her standard leather gloves. Also grabbing the necessary undergarments and toiletries, she flew into the bathroom and into the shower, not even waiting for the warm water. As she huffed and shivered under the cold blast she furiosly repremanded herself for being late.

"Ah musta been so out of it last naght that I fagat to set the darn alarm. Ah knew ah shouldn't a stayed up so late with Kitty. It's all Kitty's fault," the girl thought bitterly, and certainly not truthfully. "The girl's such a dang chatterbox she kept me up."

Half an hour and a hasty hair and makeup job later, Rogue was hastening down towards the backyard. She could already hear the rumbling of many voices. Rogue finished yanking on her left glove as she rounded the corner…slamming into someone, rather hard.

"Ahm sorreh, wasn't lookin' where ah…" her mouth clamped shut once more when her green eyes met the crimson and black ones before her.

"_Bonjour cherie_," Gambit flashed her his most charming grin. "It been a long time, _non_?

Rogue stared, silent. When she had returned the previous night from college for a holiday, Kitty had filled her in on the current goings-on in the Institute. She had told Rogue of the strange development with the recruitment of two former Acolytes, but Rogue hadn't seen either of them, until now. She silently cursed her luck that she should meet Gambit first. The last time they had seen each other, Gambit had kidnapped her and led her for a merry lark in New Orleans involving rival crime gangs, motorboat chases, and infiltrating highly guarded mansions to rescue his hostage father. They had parted in rather murky relations, where he had given her his lucky card, the Queen of Hearts, and departed, without a word from him since.

"Hello Gambit," she stepped away from him hastily, the close proximity between them making her severly uncomfortable. However, he stepped forward, maintaining the small space between them.

"Remy happy to see you _chere_," he declared, the devilish smirk still on his face. "Allow him to accompany the belle femme outside." He grasped her gloved hand and lifted it to his lips. Normally, it would appear gentlemanly, but Rogue could see the cheeky glint in his demon eyes. She pulled her hand away.

"Actually, ah was just lookin' fer Kitty. I maght see ya'll later," she replied as casually as she could in the situation and strode away down the hall before he could reply, but she could feel his gaze hot on the back of her neck. She was unnerved by his greeting. They had never officially been friends, but they had confided in one another on some deep problems each had the former spring. She couldn't figure where that placed them in relation to one another, but his bold greeting after so long a time was certainly not what she had expected or wanted. She unconciously noted to herself to avoid him as long as possible.

"Rogue!" An excited voice hailed her from the entry hall. Rogue descended the grand stairway to see Kitty waiting for her, her perky ponytail bobbing and her brilliant blue eyes sparkling.

Shadowcat rushed forward, seized Rogue's hand and pulled her roughly along behind her.

"Geez Rogue, I was waiting for, like, ever for you to get here already. They're about to start. I'm so like excited right now, I can't believe how many people came. You have to see." She towed Rogue out of the french doors leading to the lawn out back, and Rogue was taken aback at the amount of people there. She could see two girls, one in traditional Indian garb and the other a curly blonde, tailing Storm. Near the gazebo where the professor would greet them was a group of boys. One was a well-muscled boy with blond hair to his shoulders, another was a small pale boy with black hair and grey eyes, and the third was a Japanese with white hair. An Israeli girl walked past them, using sign language in an attempt to talk to a tall Russian boy who clearly had no clue what she was trying to communicate. The girl soon became frustrated and her hands crossed over her chest in an obvious sulk, the only thing the Russian was able to comprehend.

"Ya'll were raght Kitty, ah didn't thank so many people would be here." Rogue stared around. She saw familiar faces as well. Scott and Jean stood beside the professor, as proud as new parents at the outcome of new students, their hands linked together surreptitiously. Beast weaved through the students, greeting them kindly. There was a sudden, loud BAMF as Rogue's stepbrother Kurt Wagner a.k.a Nightcrawler teleported right in front of them. Kitty and Rogue jumped back, coughing and glaring icy daggers at Kurt.

"Rogue, _mein schwester_, I've missed you!" Kurt smiled, revealing the fangs of his incisors.

"It's good ta see ya too Kurt." Rogue stopped as she saw the professor beckoning them over. All the original X-Men gathered around him, including the New Mutants who had become full X-Men after the defeat of Apocalypse. The new students began to settle in the chairs that had been placed in rows before the gazebo.

"Well my X-Men," the professor announced proudly. "It's time to start."

The blonde boy that Rogue had seen eagerly sat nervously in his seat, his foot bouncing up and down with nervous energy. The warm sun beat on the back of his neck as Alexander Rogers glanced around at the faces that surrounded him on every side. He licked his lips, feeling the hot tingle at the tips of his fingers from the caloric energy that was building inside him in response to his tension. He clenched his fists.

"Hey, are you all right? You look right about ready to fall off your seat." Alex turned towards the heavily British voice. He had met the young man earlier, but had already forgotten his name. He had shaggy red hair that drooped over his face, nearly obscuring his green eyes, which showed mild concern. Alex fought to recall the name. Len…Larry, no, Lyle. He remembered now: Lyle Griffiths. He answered Lyle's question hastily.

"Yeah, just kinda jittery that's all." The British boy simply nodded, and turned back to the gazebo. The professor and his original students were gathering there. Suddenly, there was a creaking of chairs and a few annoyed grunts, and a small blonde girl with a pulsating aura of mischief radiating from her so strongly that Alex leaned backwards in his chair, gripping his wallet protectively in his jeans pocket, popped in front of them.

"Hey, mind if I crash here? The only other seats are up in the very front." The girl pointed to the empty seat to Alex's left. He shook his head, and the girl flopped down casually, as she turned almost immediatley to engage him in conversation.

"My name's Peyton. What's yours?" she began with no prelude.

"Uh, Alex, Alex Rogers." He replied faintly.

"And I'm Lyle," Lyle leaned around Alex to introduce herself. The girl shot him a withering glare that was surprisingly intimidating on her pixie face.

"I remember you. You cut us off on the drive here, you hothead. And your car sucks, you should put that junky thing out of its misery." She sniffed in an aloof manner. Lyle wasn't bothered, merely leaning back and chuckling.

"Shhh, guys, I think the professor is about to speak." Alex hushed the two on either side of him as the professor came forward in his chair, apparently about to begin. Without warning, the air in the yard grew noticeably colder, and a shadow seemed to fall on the lawn. Alex shivered, looking up for the cloud that was blocking the sun, but there were none for miles. Confused, he heard the creaking of many chairs and he turned to gawk along with everyone else at the latecomer. His mouth dropped slightly.

The girl that had just arrived approached the gathering, utterly unconcerned by the many eyes watching her. Her skin, which was as white as new fallen snow, gleamed faintly in the dimmed sun. Long black hair fell to her waist in waves and loose curls, some of which were tinted also with white. She wore black skinny jeans, black flats, and a black off-the-shoulder tee shirt, and a crystal pendant choker hung at her neck. Her face was shapely, but completely devoid of all emotion except for a cold appraisal of the scene before her. Alex was most startled by her wide eyes. Every time she moved they changed color, like a tumbling kalaidascope. The eyes roamed the crowd for an empty seat, finding one at the very front. They flashed violet as she drifted toward it and settled in gracefully, her ankles crossed and hands folded primly in her lap. She nodded to the professor in respect and maybe apology. He returned it, then wheeled forward to address the crowd as if the dramatic entrance hadn't occurred.

Alex leaned forward in his seat, anticipation once again twisting his stomach. He could feel Lyle and Peyton shifting in their chairs as well.

"A warm welcome to all of you, to the Xavier Institute. I am Professor Charles Xavier as many of you will know. I cannot say how proud and gratified I am to see so many new faces here this year. You all have a unique gift of sorts, special in their own ways, that the world is not ready to accept yet." There was a murmer of subdued agreement. "Here, you will learn to control those talents, so that one day the world will welcome you with warmth and acceptance. Now, some of you wonder what it is we do here exactly." He motioned his X-Men forward.

"These are my students that have passed through the training and have graduated to the status of X-Men. We strive to maintain peace between mutants and humans, and to promote the ideal that both can live side by side without hostility. Here, you will learn to not only control your abilities, but to harness them to protect mankind. The years ahead of us will be difficult, with prejudice and suspicion as many of you have already experienced. While you are here we will prepare you to face that world courageously and correctly."

He motioned once again to the X-Men. "My x-men will help to train you, although they will still be training alongside you. They will help you become adjusted to life here and the training you will undergo."

"Now, to other business. The local high school does accept mutant students, but if anyone would prefer to take their academic education here at the institute instead of in the mainstream, there is a sign-up sheet that shows you would prefer classes here. Your special training will take place here, and you will live here through the year, with the exception of holidays, when you can return home if you wish for the break. The dorms that you will dwell in are located on the second and third floors. Due to the large amount of students, some of the rooms will be crowded until we finish the renovations we have planned to extend the living space. Today you may tour the mansion and grounds, get settled in your dorms, and become acquainted with your fellow students. Tomorrow, you will receive your training outfits, at request, and your codenames. Classes will begin Monday afternoon. Thank you, and you are dimissed."

There was a rumble as the students rose from their seats and began to drift apart, some towards the mansion, and others to explore the grounds.

"Come on, Alex." Lyle stood and stretched. "How 'bout you and I find a bunk to crash our stuff at 'fore all the good rooms are taken."

"Sure." Alex grabbed his bag from beside his feet and followed the red haired boy across the lawn.

Suddenly Lyle raised his voice in a yell towards two other boys across the lawn. "Hey! You lot wanna come find a dorm?" Alex was taken aback by Lyle's forwardness, but the other two guys shrugged their shoulders and walked towards them. One was a well-muscled teen with many piercings and mud-brown hair styled in a faux hawk. His skin also had a strange sheen to it, like he had just taken a dip in the large pool across the yard. The other was a shorter and skinnier boy, with a goofy grin plastered on his sharp face. His strange hair, a mix of bright blonde, red, and black fell in his face and around his bright brown eyes. He also had strange skin markings: a weird charcoal mask around his eyes, kind of like a raccoon, shaped almost like the shadows of bird wings.

Lyle turned to Alex. "I met these to goons earlier. The one with the guns and fawk is Xavier James Carter, call him Xavier or Carter, and the weasel with his hair on fire is Patrick Lydenburg. Boys, this is Alex Rogers."

"Watch your mouth Brit." Xavier smirked at Lyle's mash up word for his hair style and the humorous similarity it bore to another word. "Hey Alex. Let's go find that dorm." They headed for the mansion.

Alex found himself walking next to Patrick, who looked about 14, who was also lugging two large bags on his rather scrawny shoulders.

"Whatcha got in that?" Alex asked, pointing to the second smaller, but bulky bag. Patrick threw him a look that spoke volumes of evil and mischief.

"Oh, just a few toys I couldn't stand to leave at home." He waggled his eyebrows knowingly. Alex sighed.

"_Crap, I'm rooming with a joker."_ He ran through the summers that he had spent at camp, reminding himself of all the places he would have to check for shaving cream, water buckets, whoopee cushions, electronic buzzers, and several other nasty surprises he was sure were coming his way.

By 7 o' clock, the boys had staked a large room at the end of the boys' hallway, explored the grounds and the majority of the mansion, and had met a good amount of the new students. They currently sat talking to a group of them in the rec room. Alex looked around, recalling their names. A group of girls sat on the leather couch across from him and his roomates. He remembered their names were Amy Cleveland, Inara Richardson, Allison Deinos, and Aquamarine Brown. Two of the older guys were there as well, a Russian named Nikolai and a guy with a heavy Jersey accent named Marshall. Off in the corner were some girls he hadn't met yet: an Indian, a small blonde curlycue, and another blonde with snow white angel wings folded daintily over her back. A cold chill touched the back of his neck, and he turned slightly to see the girl who had made such an entrance earlier ghosting into the room and heading straight for the bookshelves, without so much as a glance at the others in the room.

They talked until it was time for dinner. There was a large jostling crowd, making it difficult for Alex to eat or move anywhere. He was glad they would be extending the mansion soon; he was already feeling claustrophobic. Once everyone had eaten, groups were seperated among the older X-Men , and they split up. Alex ended up with his roomies and a few other guys trailing the young man named Scott Summers.

"Okay," Scott said as they were led up the stairs towards the boys' dorms. "This, as you know, is the boys' hallway. There are two bathrooms, and some of the larger bedrooms have personal bathrooms in them. You are not allowed into the girls' wing after eight." A collective groan was heard. "Lights out is at nine on school nights, and ten thirty on weekends. Breakfast is at eight thirty tomorrow, where you'll begin receiving your codenames and uniforms, if they're ready. I'd suggest you all hit your rooms and unpack, since you won't have much time tomorrow." Scott then left them to their own devices. Alex, Patrick, Xavier, and Lyle headed to their room. It was the shnazziest room any of them had ever stayed in, and they gave it their full appreciation by throwing all their stuff on the floor, digging out the snacks each had stashed in their bags, and turning on the TV. They took turns with the shower, then hopped about goofing around and watching an old sci-fi movie they had found.

As Alex sat on his bed munching chips and gazing out the french doors of their balcony towards the sunset over the bay, he began to feel a warmth. Almost as if he were home.

**Yay! I finished my first chapter! Hope you like it, and please review! I tried to get a lot of the character in, and don't worry, the new brotherhood members are coming in the next chapter. Hope you liked it!**


	2. What the New Year Brings

**Hope you all like this. New Brotherhood at the end of the chapter. Read and Review.**

**A.N. for the person who submitted Jonothan, please don't take offense at the name jibe, I just thought it would add comedic effect.**

**Chapter 2- What the New Year Brings**

At exactly 7:23 a.m. Saturday morning at the Xavier Institute, a pair of dark hazel eyes belonging to the girl named Noa Rivkin blinked sleepily open at the growing light outside. She could feel the covers of her bed twined and twisted around her small body, her feet sticking out and her head half buried beneath the silky soft fabric. A small and silent yawn escaped her as her eyes darted to the two other girls sharing her room. Peyton Manheim slept in the bed beside hers, her blonde hair tangled and her mouth open as she snored daintily. On the opposite wall, a head of thick black hair with electric blue stripes rested on its pillow, belonging to Aqua Brown.

Noa's eyes then flicked to their clock on the bedside table between her and Peyton's beds. Seeing the time, she eased out of bed slowly. She grabbed her clothes and toiletries and tiptoed sneakily out into the hall, intending to be the first to the shower. Noa was no idiot; with the crowd at dinner last night, one would have to get up pretty early to get a warm shower in this place. She reached for the knob to the bathroom, but stopped as it jiggled from the inside. The door opened and the black haired girl who had arrived late yesterday came out towling her dark locks. She turned to Noa and merely acknowledged her with a nod. Noa stared for a moment. Her face was eerily beautiful, but almost not-humanly so. Her lips were naturally black like her hair, and Noa noticed something else odd; in the middle of her forehead a black jewel appeared imbedded in the skin, gleaming faintly. The tall girl simply passed her without a word and strode to her room at the end of the hall.

By the time Noa herself returned from the shower, Aqua and Peyton were awake, and from the rising noise level, so was everyone else.

"Gee, thanks Noa," Peyton threw her a sour look. "You could have woken us. Looks like cold showers for us suckers."

Noa shrugged. She hadn't heard what Peyton had said, but had read her lips easily enough. After a life in silence you learned the skill quickly. She used her hands to sign a response back to her fuming friend.

"_**There's only one shower in that bathroom, so it isn't like you wouldn't have been stranded anyway."**_

"True," Peyton admitted. "But there still would have been a three to one chance that I got the shower and you two were the ones stranded." She smirked. Noa rolled her eyes.

"Cool it already guys." Aqua sighed frustratedly. Both girls listened, mostly because Aqua was eighteen and had superiority, and because she towered over them, shrimps as they were. Although Aqua was a quiet person, they both saw the strange glow starting in her eyes. Neither were in the mood to be blasted down to breakfast that morning.

Peyton shrugged. For the youngest and shortest person in the room, she still acted like the leader. "Fine. Come on Aqua, before the line gets too big." The older girl nodded and followed Peyton as she bounced out of the room. _**"Hey Noa, see if you can save us some seats at the table."**_ Peyton signed hurriedly as she was swept up in the tide of grouchy, tousle-haired girls all heading for the powder room.

Scott Summers waited in the dining hall, listening with winces to the noise upstairs. He heard a crash, a yell, and what sounded suspiciously like a thunder blast echoing from upstairs in the direction of the boys' wing. Scott shook his head. He was truly glad for this new year and all the new students, but this year would be very different from the others he had experienced. Even with the first set of rowdy New Mutants, at least he had trained and gone to school with them, so they were on friendlier terms. These new kids though, they didn't know him. They would look on him as a teacher, an X-Man, a superior who was supposed to teach them how to use their powers to the best of their abilities. He wasn't sure if he could live up to that expectation.

A sweet scent of strawberries and citrus reached him and he turned with a smile to see Jean approaching. Understanding was in her eyes.

"Relax Scott. The professor doesn't expect you to be perfect, just to do your best, and that's enough for all of us." She pressed a light kiss to his cheek, and Scott felt a blissful happiness that after all this time that he and Jean had spent dancing around their true feelings for each other, they were finally open and loving. All it took was for Mystique to kidnap and terrorize him for things to come to light. Despite this, he still couldn't bring himself to be grateful to her.

"Unfortunately, ol' Chuck doesn't appreciate certain types of 'best'. Thinks the kiddies can't take what's good for 'em." Logan growled, stalking into the room, closely shadowed by Rogue. Scott and Jean remained silent. Logan and Rogue were a force of nature to be reckoned with before they had had their morning coffee. They were like bears: if they met any threat to their authority or routine, the provoker had better run for the hills before the claws and fangs came out.

Behind them Kitty and Kurt came in, both chattering excitedly about the new year and being glared at fiercly by above-mentioned force of nature. Bobby then walked in with Boom-Boom and Jubilee, who had returned to the Institute late in the summer. Storm and the professor came in behind them. The professor smiled at his first two students and took his place at the head of the table. Gambit had popped out of thin air it seemed and made his way over to Rogue. He leaned over her shoulder and said something, which caused her head to whip around. She looked as if she sincerely wanted to rip his head off, but by that time the new students had begun to arrive so she would have to save the blood and gore for later.

Jonothan Baker looked down the gigantic dining table at the milling students. He was amazed at the size of the student body there. Back in London he had never met anyone who had powers like he did, and he was surprised at how many he found here. He looked to his right at the younger boy beside him, with dark hair and nervous grey eyes that darted about. A myriad of emotions flashed across his face in rapid succession, changing everytime his eyes locked onto a different person. The tense set of his shoulders scrunched him inward uncomfortably.

Jonothan placed his hand on the younger man's tight shoulder, startling him. He looked about fifteen, though he was short for that age.

"Are you all right?" The boy nodded, eyes still flickering about like a rabbit's, then spoke in a husky voice.

"Yeah, just a lot to take in. A lot." Jonothan was slightly confused, but let it slide.

Scott Summers stood at the head of the table. "Alright, I'll be calling your names and your new codenames. When you hear your name, raise your hand and I'll pass you your pre-ordered uniform." Scott picked up a rectangular box from the floor, looked at a tag on the lid and called out, "Shiloh Rayne, codename Prism.

A silver haired girl raised her hand from the end of the table. Scott sent the box sliding along the table towards her. She seized it excitedly and her friends began whispering to her. Scott picked up the next box.

"David Issacson, codename Rapport." The boy beside Jonothan raised his hand and the box was sent skidding his way. He didn't attempt to open it.

"Alexander Rogers, codename Dynamo." Scott continued to rattle off names and codenames, the boxes flying across the table like hockey pucks in an ice rink.

"Bridget Hudson, codename Dread."

"Aquamarine Brown, codename Elementress."

"Masato Kimura, codename StoneHeart"

"Allison Deinos, codename Proxy."

"Nikolai Dmitriev, codename Biofuse."

At last Scott reached Jonothan. "Jonothan Baker, codename Doc." There was a snicker from the end of the table, and a voice piped up. "I'm Sneezy." Several other voices joined in.

"And I'm Grumpy."

"Sleepy!"

"Patrick's Dopey."

"Hey!" Patrick yelled from his seat. Scott glared at the loudmouths, as Jon sank in his seat a little. He snatched his box and stayed still. Seriously, _Doc_? He knew they used codenames related to their powers and he could heal others, but still, that was the best they could come up with? Screw this, he thought. He thought he saw the professor smile a little. Scott however, returned to popping off names.

"Patrick Lydenburg, codename Eclipse."

"Noa Rivkin, codename CopyCat."

"Russel Hardt, codename Flex."

Jonothan leaned back, waiting for the names to end. He heard Cyclone, Waver, Sparks, Reflect, Torch, Nymph, and Oceana. At last, there were only two girls left.

"Peyton Manheim, codename Wreck." The box was sent skittering towards the tiny blonde. One more.

"Tsarina Ibanescu, codename Black Diamond." The last box was caught in long, gloved fingers and pulled to its owner silently.

The professor moved his chair forward as Scott stepped back. "Now that you all have your uniforms and codenames I will share with you some things that are needful to know, then you will head upstairs, change into your uniforms, and meet Logan," he motioned to the brawny man beside him, "downstairs where he will test you to see how your powers have developed and to see the level at which your training will begin."

"For the first order of business, those who still wish to attend academic classes here at the institute can still sign up. For the students who have already graduated high school, the local university is a quick drive and lets out at the same time as the high school. You may also take college level classes online in our computer lab. The older students who have their licenses, I will ask to help with transportation to and from school for the younger students. It is not an obligation, but I would encourage it."

"Secondly, I beg you all to respect your X-Men trainers. They may still be learning alongside you, but they have years more experience and they know what they're doing. If they give an order, be sure to follow it. If you have any questions, feel free to consult them or me."

"Very well, go suit up, and meet downstairs." Several chairs dropped to the floor as several students made a break for the stairs, eager to get 'suited up'. Everyone was chattering like a flock of birds, wondering what lay in store for them downstairs.

Little less than a half hour later, the new student body were clumped together outside of a round metal door, their eyes wide with expectation. Jon picked at his suit, grumbling internally again. It was strange feeling, and the full body suit looked weird. His suit was not particularly standout, being an almost basic training suit with a white X across the chest. He was glad for the nondescriptness though. He had never been a stand-out-in-the-crowd kind of guy, and the normality of his uniform comforted him of the fact that he wouldn't attract too much attention.

The man named Logan approached them, in a uniform of his own.

"Alright newbies, here's the drill." The man began pacing, and Jon instantly thought of a military general prepping his regement for battle. "During training you refer to me as Wolverine. In this room we're testing you to see whether you'll be dead by the end of the week, or if it'll take a little longer. I'm not gonna fancy it up so suck it up and listen hard. The holograms you'll see in this room, or the Danger Room, are real enough to hurt. Stay on your feet, keep your head, and don't pull any idiot show-off stunts. You do, you'll hafta have a little talk with me personally. If you make it out that is." A squeak of fear sounded from the rear.

"Now, you'll be in teams of four. I'll separate you out, take a few minutes to get familiar with each others' powers, and plan your strategy. The goal is simple: get from start to finish, and don't die."

On that encouraging note, he organized the teams. "Doc, you're with StoneHeart, Sparks, and Dread."

Jon nodded and headed towards his teammates. The most dominate figure was a highly athletic Japanese boy with white hair. Jon looked to his feet and saw the metal straining beneath the steel-tipped boots. The girls were both blonde, one with curly hair, the other with long straight hair pulled back in a high ponytail. While the tiny girl had pink accenting her uniform, the taller had electric blue pieces of armor with lightning bolts on the sides of her legs.

Doc waved politely. The big boy gave him a courteous nod, the little girl waved back, and the taller blonde (after giving his dirty-blonde, green-eyed, muscled self a quick once over), sent him an alluring and flirtatious smile. The Wolverine called the teams inside the round metal doors.

"Activate 'First Run'." He called out into the plain looking, round room. Suddenly, the room in front of the students wavered and turned into a rocky landscape. Some of them gasped. It looked like they were standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon. A babble of excited voices rose until Wolverine shouted them down.

"You have ten minutes to organize and get a strategy in place. This is NOT a race, so don't do anything stupid trying to be the first to get to the finish line." He pointed across the canyon to a white flag flapping in the wind a fair distance away. "You'll meet obstacles, and you'll need teamwork to get to the flag. Now get going." The teams broke away.

StoneHeart motioned for his team to follow him into a small copse of trees nearby. They did so, Jon being perfectly content to follow someone else's lead. They settled in a clearing.

"Alright," StoneHeart began. "First, we must know who has what ability, and how we can use it to get to the flag." His voice had a heavy accent, but it was easily understandable. He spoke swiftly and surely, as if he did this every day before breakfast and dinner. He nodded first at Bridget. "You first."

Bridget started a bit, squirmed for a moment, then spoke tentatively.

"I-I have a kind of telepathic ability, well, that's what the professor told me when he invited me here. I can, uh, get into peoples' heads. I can bring back their worst memory or-or their greatest fear. It's really a cruel power. I'm just glad it manifested when it did, where it could do some good." She blushed, as if she'd said to much, and hung her head slightly. StoneHeart pressed her for more details however, so she continued. "It's pretty powerful, but I can only focus on one person at a time. Also, it's dangerous for me to be pulled from a person's mind too soon, because the mental break could kill me and the person that I'm attacking." StoneHeart nodded, feeling as if he'd got enough to go by and turned to Sparks.

"I generate electricity, so I can blow the crap outta obstacles." She declared with no hesitation whatsoever, sending a sultry wink in Jon's direction. "I generate electricity in the air by causing opposite charges to rub together, like in a lightning storm. Then I blast bolts outta my hands. Don't like water though." She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

It was Jon's turn now. "I have two abilities really. I can create physical and mental shields. My mental shield is involuntary, so I can't really control it, but I can easily shield three people physically, which is lucky for us. It's pretty strong. I can also heal people, but only minor injuries are easy. If I try to heal something major, I get exhausted. So let's not try jumping off any cliffs yet." Sparks smirked, and Dread giggled slightly. StoneHeart disregarded the mild humor and went on without a pause.

"And I can assimilate solid matter into my body. This gives me certain extra abilities, such as better strength, steel-hard skin, and sharpened nails like claws. My weight is very great as well, so it would be very hard for an enemy to overpower me physically." There was no vanity in his statement, only factual observation. Jon could tell StoneHeart would be an excellent field commander.

"So, what is our strategy?"

StoneHeart smiled grimly. "I have a plan." The group huddled like a football team before the championship game. As soon as StoneHeart had finished speaking, a blaring signal echoed through the holographic canyon, signaling the start of their first DR session. "Team," StoneHeart said as if he were asking them to charge the gates of Mordor with nothing but their bare hands. "Let's go."

At the Bayville Galleria mall, five teens, four boys and a girl, reclined at a table in the food court. They were talking casually and sipping at sodas. A tall boy with a mullet cut and a brown vest leaned back in recline, letting his eyes roam the crowded mall. A voice interrupted his thoughts as it whined.

"Man, this bombs. I'm growing moss sittin' 'round this dump town doin' nuthin'."

"You'd be growing moss even if we weren't stuck in the doldrums Toad." Another voice punched out the words with such rapidity that it was very difficult to figure out what the boy had said. "When was the last time you showered for God's sake?"

Lance Alvers turned away from his people watching to look at the rest of the Brotherhood of Bayville. Pietro Maximoff and Todd Tolansky a.k.a. Quicksilver and Toad, were now squabbling like bickering old ladies, Fred 'the Blob' Dukes looked on in confusion as usual, and Pietro's twin sister Wanda Maximoff, or the Scarlet Witch, stared off into the distance with boredom. Lance leaned over the table to clap his hand over Pietro's running mouth and to smack Toad over the head.

"Oww!" he squealed. "What gives man?"

"Would you idiots knock it off already. I've heard you a million times Toad. It's not like we _can_ do anything. The X-Men have even more people with 'em now, and even with Wanda on our side we couldn't take 'em all in a fight. They'd kick us around Bayville for the next month."

Toad slumped back in his seat looking dejected.

"C'mon guys." Lance said standing up. "Let's blow this dump."

As if his words were some magic spell, there was a terrific crash from the first floor below them, and the infuriated bellows of the mall cops drew a crowd to the railings to watch what was unfolding below, the Brotherhood among the first of them.

Below on the first floor, three teens were running haphazardly through the mall with at least five security guards on their tails. Benches, plants, and kiosks were knocked aside or over in their bid for escape. One led while the others trailed him in a triangle formation. The one leading was a tall boy with handsome fiery auburn hair that flicked in his eyes as he ran. The two behind, another boy and a girl, followed closely.

The Brotherhood watched intently. If not part of the action, at least they got to watch. Then something happened no one expected. The boy in the rear, very tall, his dark hair falling over one of his dark eyes, whirled around to face the approaching guards. He raised his hands, as if he were about to perform dark magic. In a way, he did. The shadows dappling the mall from the sunlight outside writhed like living snakes and leapt toward the pursuers. The slivers of darkness wrapped around their legs and the guards fell with cries of pure terror as the blackness swirled around them, beginning to smother them.

The girl leapt forward, her hand touching the tall boy's shoulder. He turned to her and the shadows oozed back into place. The guards were dazed for a moment. The lead boy stepped forward then. His eyes, a creepy shade of blue, sparked and glowed like coals. His lips opened and his voice, as soft and sweet as warm honey and as mysterious as a winter's night, began to murmer words that reverbrated to the ceiling and back.

Wanda drew back, very wary, and let a sphere of blue incase the Brotherhood. They could still hear the boy's voice, but it was muted and had lost some of the silkiness.

The people around them were stunned for a moment, but then stupid expressions slid gradually over all their faces. They smiled faintly, and nodded along with the beautiful voice. Their eyes slid out of focus.

The voice ceased, and when the Brotherhood emerged from the sphere of Wanda's powers, the bystanders were shaking their heads in confusion. The three strange teens were gone. The Brotherhood looked at each other. Pietro had a glint in his eyes.

"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

Outside the mall, the two boys crouched behind an old van in the parking lot, waiting for their sister in crime. The shadow manipulator fingered the expensive necklace he had stashed in his bag while the brown haired leader kept his eyes peeled for the third member. A figure appeared, an old woman clutching a worn bag. The old lady lifted two fingers and crossed them. The lead boy stood as the woman hastened behind the car and shapeshifted into a pretty black haired girl. She handed a backpack of mall loot to the leader.

"Idiot mall cops were still hanging around Michael. Sorry it took so long."

Michael smiled at her and ducked in to quickly kiss her on the cheek. "Everything's fine as long as we got the stuff. Course, it's even better to see you back safe Azula." He flashed her a winning smile from perfect teeth, but she just rolled her amber eyes.

"Come on Lian, before someone spots us." Michael stood, when a sudden whoosh of air had him whirling around. A boy about his age was leaning up against the car, silver hair gleaming in the sun and a smirk on his lips.

"Hold up there a sec." he said as the three teens leapt into battle formation. "Think we might be able to help you out." Pietro motioned and the rest of the Brotherhood came around the side of the van, surrounding the three miscreants. Michael jutted his handsome chin defiantly and his eyes began to glow.

"What do you want?" He asked. The shadow bender snarled behind him and Azula flexed her fingers for the first punch.

Pietro said nothing for a moment, but his eyes darted to the bag of goods in Michael's hand. Then he spoke. "Ya gonna need a place to crash and stash for a bit? The resident mutant troublemakers would like to help you out, mutant to mutant." Pietro held out his hand.

Michael turned to his companions. Azula shrugged while the boy did nothing but stare silently. Michael turned back. What did they have to lose? "Okay then," he declared as he shook Pietro's hand. "Mutant to mutant."

"What do you all call yourselves." Pietro put on his best diplomatic voice.

Michael jerked his head. "The gorgeous lady is Azula Starke, also known as Zenia. On my left is Emilian Dimir, or Wraith. I'm Michael Dourne." He grinned maliciously. "You can call me Morpheus."

"_**Dun, dun, daaaaa!**_ **Hope you liked.**


	3. Welcome to Hell

**Chapter 3-Welcome to Hell**

"This is **so** not the way I wanted my first day to go." Bridget cried out, her eyes bugging wide as she clung to StoneHeart's shoulders, feeling the hundreds of feet of empty air below them tugging at her. StoneHeart grunted a bit as he drove his steel-tipped boot deep into the rocky side of the cliff face as he slowly manuevered down the canyon, his teammates clinging to his back.

"Relax Dread," he chastised her. "If you had a problem with this game plan, you should have said so earlier." He punched the rock wall with his fist, driving it deep into the sediment, using his hands and feet like petons to descend to the gorge floor below.

The odd mix of a British and Irish accent came from StoneHeart's other shoulder as Doc asked, "What kind of obstacles do you think Wolverine was talking about?"

A sudden rumble almost caused StoneHeart to lose his grip, and Dread squealed in fear. The team looked up. Boulders bounced and tumbled towards them.

"Maybe like that?" StoneHeart said. "Hope you guys have strong stomachs."

"What?" they turned to him, yelling. Before they could say more, StoneHeart had released his hold on the cliff and they were plummeting several stories to the ground below. Dread was shrieking in his ear, Sparks was laughing hysterically, and Doc let loose a strong expletive quite loudly right next to him.

There was a jolting crunch and his passengers were thrown free. He staggered for a moment and then righted himself, dusting off his uniform. "What were you saying about not jumping off cliffs?" Doc stumbled around like a drunk, his green eyes wide and dilated with shock.

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all." He replied faintly.

Masato lifted his head to peer across the canyon. It had taken him less than a second to assimilate the matter of the cliff, turning him to an iron hard stone. His skin was now black, his white hair sharp as needles, and he could feel the great strength accumulated in his powerful limbs. "Come. It'll be easier for now, but I doubt that's the last obstacle we'll be meeting." They nodded and followed his lead.

They hiked for a few minutes along the canyon beside the river, their feet crunching on the pebbles. The holographic sun beat down on them, emitting real heat so that they were soon sweating substantially. Their feet began to hurt a bit from the sharp rocks. Their feet were also growing hotter. Dread winced, hopping on one foot to relieve the other of the pain it was now experiencing. StoneHeart halted.

"Obstacle number two." He pointed, and they all got into their best fighting stances, feeling still hopelessly outmatched. On a large boulder about thirty feet ahead stood a flaming black and orange striped figure, blazing with heat and fiery eyes locked on the group. Magma smiled at them.

"I remember my first day. Let's see if you can handle the heat." She raised her still petite arms as the ground around them erupted, lava spewing upward in deadly fountains. The group leapt aside to avoid being friccaseed.

"Doc!" StoneHeart yelled to the other boy. Doc nodded, his eyes narrowing in concentration. Each of his teammates were instantly incased in a palely shimmering field, like figure hugging soap bubbles. Drops of scalding magma fell on them, but simply rolled off their protected skins. StoneHeart motioned to Sparks. The blonde's arms raised as volts of zapping static raced from shoulders to hands, her hair rising with the charge. Blue-white bolts exploded from her hands, shattering the rock where Magma stood. Amara lost her footing and tumbled.

"C'mon team!" StoneHeart yelled. Masato was no coward, but he was a leader and a strategist. He knew that his team wouldn't be able to withstand Magma if she got up a head of steam, and the objective was to get to the flag at all costs. They sprinted past the X-girl, rounding a bend in the river way. They kept running, turning twisting corners as the river grew narrower. After a bit, they slowed, believing that they had made it to temporary safety.

"What now?" asked Dread. "We didn't do too bad, but what about the river? We said we would make a plan to cross when we found a suitable place, but the river doesn't seem to be getting any narrower. I don't think swimming is a good idea."

"I'm not swimming." Sparks stated firmly. "I can swim, but not if I can help it."

"Relax. We don't have to swim. The flag is close," StoneHeart pointed upward where they could see the white banner far above. "We can go a little farther and look for a suitable crossing." They continued to walk. Suddenly they heard voices. The team froze. More obstacles? There seemed to be more than one. The voices stopped, and there was dead silence. StoneHeart's team stiffened as they heard the soft crunch of approaching footsteps over the river pebbles. He turned to hold up three fingers, timing their attack. Shadows appeared beyond the rock outcrop they hid behind. His fingers began to fall. _1…2…3!_

They leapt out: Sparks zapping, Doc raising his shields, Dread with her fists up, and StoneHeart leapt over the rock and landed with an intimadating thud and rumble. Instead of X-Men or another challenge, they met the battle-ready faces of four other students, who looked just as surprised to see them as vice versa. Before them were Xavier Carter, codename Reflect, Dalaja or Oceana, Patrick Lydenburg a.k.a. Eclipse, and Allison Deinos, codename Proxy. The two teams straightened out of position.

"Jesus, do ya have to sneak up on us like that." Xavier growled. "We thought you were those two guys again, the blonde that's always crashing into walls and his spikey haired electric friend."

StoneHeart shrugged. "We thought you were the fiery girl and some friends back to get us. I suppose once you pass an obstacle it can't follow you."

"For that I'm grateful," Patrick grumbled, rubbing his forehead where a shapely purple lump was beginning to grow. "What kinda looney bin school does this for P.E.?"

"Nevermind that. We should be able to cross the river here."

"That's what we were trying to figure out before you guys came along." Xavier held a hint of annoyance in his voice.

StoneHeart ignored him. Now was not the time to pick a fight. They had a goal, and everything else could wait until it was reached. He paced to the edge of the frothing river, looking up and down for logs, rocks, anything that might help them cross. Proxy lifted into the air using her wings and flew back and forth, scanning more thouroughly.

"Proxy, could you carry us across the river?" Doc asked.

"No. I can shapeshift, but I'm not that strong. I might be able to get Dread over, and maybe Oceana, but none of the rest of you." They sighed, when Dread's face lit up radiently.

"That's it! Oceana," she whirled to her friend. "You turn into a water form, and you said you could collect water into you, right?" Dalaja nodded.

"Yes, but I'm not sure how much. I've never tried to gather so much at a time."

"Try it now. I know you can do it." Oceana looked nervous, but nodded. With StoneHeart and Reflect each holding one of her hands so she wouldn't be swept away, she stepped into the shallows. She shut her sapphire eyes for a moment concentrating. Her form wavered; water began to drip from the tips of her long braids, and the two boys could feel her skin growing cold beneath her gloves. In a moment, a column of water shaped perfectly like a girl walked out into the middle of the torrent. The water swirled lovingly around her, collecting into her form to make it grow larger every second.

The teams stared in awe as Oceana towered over them like a majestic river goddess of mythology, the sunlight shattering off her roiling form like diamonds.

StoneHeart stepped into the damp and empty riverbed. "What are you all waiting for?" They followed him.

Masato had just leaned down to help Eclipse from the river bed when a shattering boom sounded above them. Oceana dissolved, the water crashing down and just missing Eclipse. The now soggy girl scrabbled for the bank where her teammates pulled her out. They looked up. Two figures were silouetted above them: one lean, the other tall and lanky. Two objects came hurtling towards them: a glowing and sparking little orb and a flaming fucshia playing card.

"Gambit and Boom Boom! Scatter!" yelled Reflect. They all dove to the sides, a crater appearing where they had been standing only moments before.

A voice yelled to them from the distance. "Guys, this way!" they all turned to see another team halfway up the cliff, running up a narrow pathway gouged in the rockwall. The two teams under assault broke for the trailhead, running full tilt as more bombs and cards rained down on them. Doc threw up physical shields around his teammates. Eclipse suddenly spun around, clapped his hands together, and a blast of blinding light erupted from his hands. The two attackers were blinded momentarily, giving the two teams enough time to make the trail.

They scrambled over the rocks on the pathway, which was little more than a goat trail. StoneHeart took the rear, guarding their backs. A flash of red lit over their heads, bringing rocks down on them. StoneHeart threw himself over Sparks and Dread.

"Dear Lord, what did we ever do to deserve this?" Eclipse screamed in frustration and terror. He had been knocked sideways, almost pushing him over the edge.

"No time to wonder." StoneHeart pulled the girls to their feet. They were almost to the top. They leapt over the edge of the clifftop, reaching flat ground. The flag was so close…and yet, so far. The team that had hailed them from the trail were engaged in a full-fledged battle with robotic drones that were firing at them.

"We've gotta help!" Doc yelled, starting forward, but StoneHeart seized his arm.

"The objective was to get to the flag. They must fend for themselves."

Doc looked furious. "We're training to be a team. We can't leave them to be crushed. I'm going, and who's with me?" He looked to the two girls. Sparks leapt forward.

"I'd follow you anywhere cutie." Dread hesitated, then ran after the two older kids. StoneHeart was severely aggravated, but he couldn't leave his teammates. He felt the stone beneath his feet and felt it becoming one with his body. Fully powered, he sprang forward.

The drones were blasting hard at the trapped team. He could see Alexander Rogers, Dynamo, backed up against Elementress. Dynamo was sending blasts of energy into the drones while the earth in front of Elementress shattered and rocked as the earth bent to her will. CopyCat was leaping around like a grasshopper. She landed on top of a drone, using armored gloves to punch a hole in the metal.

StoneHeart could feel Reflect's team jumping in to help in the fight. A shadow loomed over them, and they turned to see a humongous drone behind them, aiming its blast cannon. Without warning, a dark beam shot it down. It collapsed twitching, wires dangling from the punctured hole. Through the smoke, Black Diamond nodded to them and swept off to help her teammates.

Soon, the three teams stood in a circle, back to back, as the army of drones marched toward them. They were exhausted and sweaty, and new the next wave would have them down.

"Guys," Dynamo panted. "I've gotta plan." He explained hastily as the robots closed in.

"When I say go, you all run. Elementress, Reflect, Black Diamond, and I will attack as best we can, and then we'll join you, if we can. It should buy you enough time." The teams nodded. The drones drew up, guns ready to fire on the steadfast group.

"Go!" Dynamo and his fellows lifted their hands in unison, and sent four mighty blasts of differently hued colors towards the drones. They ripped through the solid metal like a sharp knife through tinfoil. The rest of the teams bolted for the flag. They could see the other students watching the epic battle with awe from beyond the safety of the finish line. StoneHeart raced forward, the ground shattering below his mighty feet. He saw Dread stumble ahead of him. Without a thought he swept her up into his arms, and made the last desperate bid for the flag. He ripped past it to cheers from the finished teams.

He whirled to seek out the last of the members. They were running as if the devil himself were after them, the last massive drone crawling swiftly behind. Shouts, bellows, and cheers egged them on to the last sprint as they threw themselves over the safety line. A roar of triumph went up from the crowd.

"Alright, alright, settle down." The gruff voice of Wolverine interrupted their celebration. "Computer, deactivate simulation." The scenery faded away back to a beat up metal room.

"Not bad for the first time, and we certainly got a show at the end. That should be enough to go on for now." He looked about. The newbies, after the adrenaline had worn off, now slumped with hands on knees or sprawled on their backs on the cool floor. Panting was the loudest sound in the room.

Eclipse spoke from the floor, his arm thrown over his eyes, his tongue lolling. "Exactly…pant…how often…gasp…do we do these things anyway?"

Wolverine smiled amusedly at him. "Every afternoon except Saturday, lightbulb."

Eclipse groaned in agony.

Across town, at the Brotherhood boarding house, the orange-haired Pyro sat alone on the ratty sofa flipping through the channels on the TV. The pipsqueaks should be back from the mall soon, he thought. He hadn't gone; stupid humans were just asking to be torched. Not that he wouldn't enjoy it, just that Wanda had said next time it happened she would hex him through a wall again. Wanda was a gorgeous shiela when she was mad, but that really did hurt.

He heard the growl of Lance's jeep as it pulled up and the doors slammed. Pyro could hear unfamiliar voices. He craned around to see what was up.

The door opened and Pietro and Lance walked in first. Behind them were three newcomers. The tall, dark, European-looking boy strode upstairs without a word and with hardly a glance at his surroundings, his bag slung over his shoulder. His two compatriots, however, stood to drink in their surroundings.

The auburn boy let his ghoulish eyes roam the premises. "Eh, not bad. I've seen better, but I've seen a lot more that are worse." The pretty girl at his side nodded.

Pyro jerked up from the sofa and gangled over towards the entry way.

"Allo, mates. Who're the newbies?" He winked at the girl, but she merely sent him a disdainful look, like he was something undesirable stuck on the bottom of her shoe.

Lance spoke. "These are Michael and Azula, and Emilian went upstairs to find a room. Welcome to the Brotherhood Morpheus, Zenia, and Wraith."

**Whoo, new Brotherhood members! How do you think I did my DR session?**


	4. Slumber Parties

**Ok, longer chapter this time. I know you're probably wondering where all the action and typical X-men stuff is, just know I'm getting there. Don't worry, I got some good stuff planned for the future. If anyone has suggestions for a cool plot, I'm open. This is like the fifth season onward, so it should have some cool story arcs and such. If you have an idea, please PM me cause we don't want to give away the surprises. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4- Slumber Parties**

Wanda's eyes flickered uneasily around the room. The rest of the Brotherhood seemed perfectly at ease with the newcomers, but her prickly and edgy nature caused her to be suspicious. Morpheus was sprawled on the couch, his feet on the banged up coffee table, a look of imperious boredom etched in every line of his well-chisled face as he flicked through the channels on the TV. The same kind of look was worn by Zenia, who was perched on a chair, but her distaste showed more clearly in her scunched nose and glittering amber eyes. She turned to mutter something to Morpheus. They had noticed she had a thick German accent, that she had expertly covered on their first meeting. The dark one, Wraith, leaned against the wall in the darkest corner, the dark eyes faintly luminescent in the dusky shade. Wanda wondered if that was part of his mutation, or just another aspect of his creepy persona. She didn't think she had heard the grim young man speak once since the three had arrived.

She was wrapped in contemplation to the newest additions to their ranks, so she didn't see Pyro come up behind her and slide a calloused hand around her waist. He grunted as she drove a discouraging elbow into his midriff.

"Easy there, sheila, what's a little snuggle 'mong friends, eh?"

"Our ideas on the definition of 'snuggle' are on opposite ends of the universe St. John." She threw him a look from her blue eyes that clearly said 'touch me again, you're dead.'

He didn't seem much threatened but didn't touch her. Instead, he leaned up against the doorframe they stood in. "So, me Scarlet Beauty, whatcha think 'bout the new peeps in town? I think they'd be a lotta fun, even if tall, dark, and silent is as creepy as Blob in his knickers." The faintly glowing eyes flickered in their direction, and Wanda repressed the urge to turn away. Apparently he had good ears, and Wanda didn't like that.

"So," Morpheus piped up. "I'm as bored as I can possibly be right now. What do you guys do for entertainment round this dead town?" There was silence. Blob and Toad scratched their heads and looked at the other, unable to answer, and no one else could either it seemed. Morpheus snorted.

"Well, _that's _encouraging. Please tell me hanging at the mall isn't the most fun you have around here. Cause if that were the case, I think I'll just head back to Chicago. Sure, they got my head on a wanted list in juvie at least, but at least that city has some wild parties."

"Hey, we do cool things," interjected Blob, feeling offended at the boy's tone. Morpheus shot him a look so condescending that Blob squirmed. The former principal of Bayville high, Principal Kelly, couldn't have mustered a better. It just fit Morpheus's face: the curl in his full lips, the scrunch of his nose, one lifted eyebrow, and a mocking spark in the icy eyes that resembled what someone would look like when kicking a stray puppy, cruelly amused at the sake of the victim.

"Really?" was all he said, like he was indulging a child after it had made a ridiculous comment that he didn't give a crap about. He stood and stretched, cracking his knuckles.

"Well, looks like you people need someone to show you the wonders of the night life. And I mean the _real_ nightlife. What do you say?" He turned to Zenia and Wraith. Zenia adopted a smile of wicked excitement, and Wraith stepped from the shadows.

"_Ne-ar fi mult obligat_." Wraith said in a language none of them were familiar with. "Ve'd be much obliged." He translated. His voice was smooth, and though it wasn't deep, it was spoken in a low, almost murmuring voice. His voice had a rich accent, some thought it sounded Russian. Wanda was able to narrow its origin to somewhere in the Balkans. He didn't look particularly excited, but seemed willing to follow his leader on whatever joyride he chose to take.

Morpheus grinned with pleasure. His eyes flickered to the Brotherhood. "What say. You in?"

The Brotherhood were more than willing to accept. They hadn't seen action since Apocalypse, and they believed, now that they had three powerful new members, that if the X-men showed, they would stand more than a fair chance. Now they just needed to find out what Morpheus planned to lead them into.

The new students of the Xavier Institute congratulated themselves on the successful DR session over lunch. They compared the challenges that each had faced while reaching the flag, and of course the heroic battle against the drones that the last three teams had fought. They were clapped on the back, congratulated, and surrounded by swarms of hyper students.

On the far end of the long table (actually the left table, there were two dining tables with all the students now enrolled), a group of the girls were chattering excitedly when a girl named Chloe Beauchamp, also referred to as Waver, scuttled over with excitement lighting her face. She passed a note to Prism, who sat in the center of the knot of curious girls, and dashed back to her own table. The note was opened, read, and excitedly passed around. Every girl squealed with excitement at what was written on it.

_Meet at Aqua's, Peyton's, and Noa's room tonight for inaugeral, first day slumber party! We're trying to get some X-men influence to bend the lights-out rule (translation: we're cornering Kitty and Tabitha after lunch), so bring whatever you need and a flashlight. Don't be late! _

The initial reaction was basically the same wherever the note was passed, and soon that was the talk of the female population at the institute.

Later that night, after an apparently rushed dinner, a growing crowd of laughing, squealing, and rowdy mutant girls were crowded into one dorm, one of the largest on the floor. It helped that all the regular X-men lived on the first and second floors, while the new recruits occupied the third floor, so hopefully they wouldn't have someone like Scott or Jean or, God forbid, Logan coming to tell them to shut up already and go to bed. The room was a mass of blonde, black, brown, blue, and silver hair as the teens flopped in PJs over the beds, floor, and desks trying to find room. A rather loud argument was growing over dibs on the remote.

"Oi, people, knock it off already, oy can't hear meself thinkin'!" Yelled a loud but pleasant sounding voice in a thick Aussie accent. The room quieted a little as Shiloh Rayne glared around at them all, giving them a raise of her perfectly shaped eyebrow. In the moonlight that was beginning to leak through the windows, her flawless features courtesy of her mutation were highlighted to resemble an expertly carved statue of one pissed girl. "Finally, you lot make more noise than a dingo with an 'ead cold." She really didn't know what that sounded like, having grown up in the city, but it tended to get a reaction. She heard some girls laughing, but quietly.

"Thanks Prism," said Sparks from the corner. "I was this close to bailing and just going to join the boys. They may be noisy, but at least it's funny noise." Everyone knew that Amy Cleveland was more of a boy girl, she just naturally ran with the guys.

From the corner, Aqua looked up from where she sat. She was one of the oldest new students, and not particularly good at getting to know people, so she found herself sitting cross-legged on the floor by the window, her trusty sketch pad settled in her lap as she outlined the scenery of the grounds out of the windows. Her black and blue hair had been released from its usual ponytail and flowed down her shoulders and over her face, shading her gray-blue eyes. She felt a little perturbed at the large amount of people, not that she was opposed to them; she just felt so self conscience. She wished they had chosen a different room for their party, but unfortunately, their room was one of the largest and the obvious choice. She sighed, placing the sketch pad aside, feeling her artistic endeavors wouldn't go very far tonight.

The girls were quieting down, all gathering in the center of the room, the beds having been pushed to the sides. The tv played unnoticed behind them. Slightly reluctantly, Aqua went to join the forming powwow circle. The chatter was kept at a moderate level, lest they attract unwanted attention.

"So, what about that DR session?" exclaimed a girl Aqua believed was called Nymph; she couldn't remember the girl's real name. "I have never done anything so challenging in my life. That huge Russian guy attacked us, you know, the one that turns into metal, and I thought he was going to take my head off for sure at one point. Someone said he used to be an enemy of the X-men, but then switched sides."

"Yeah, I heard that to." Peyton was piping up. "So did that guy with the weird eyes who's always wearing the trench. Still, they're both hot, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt."

"Peyton, those guys are like twenty years old and your twelve."

"I'll be thirteen in less than a month." Peyton sniffed in a highly offended manner.

"Speaking of hot guys, I may not be a girly girl, but I know a hotty when I see one." Amy's eyes were gleaming. "Any of you notice Jonothan?"

"The guy with the Snow White name?" There were a few snickers.

"Yeah, yeah," the Canadian girl waved off the humor. "Seriously, no one noticed? He's a total, what-do-you-call-it, heartthrob! The dirty blonde hair, gorgeous green eyes, and that was some bod! I gotta thank Wolverine. That simulation had us all sweating, and I got a nice view of his abs through his uniform. And that English-Irish hybrid accent of his, soo sexy. And one of the guys told me, one of his roomies, that he plays guitar. A man like that is definitely worth my notice."

The girls around Amy began to pester her for more details, particularly on a play by play of the time frame ideal for ab viewing. The other girls turned and began to discuss some other teen dreams they had set their eyes on over the last two days. Aqua was quiet. She had also noticed Jon. She had been impressed with his composure in the fight with the drones, and with the subtle leadership qualities that he exuded. The fact that he had that kind of authority in him but didn't jump to claim leadership had quite intrigued her. She had talked to him briefly on their way out of the Danger Room, congratulating him on the team success. He had been very polite and friendly. She felt a warmth toward the boy; she felt that he might be one of the few people she might be able to bond with easily.

"So Aqua, did anyone catch your notice today?" she was nudged from thought by Bridget leaning over to inquire during a lull in the conversation. She almost felt all eyes shift toward her. Despite her seniority, she fought the urge to squirm and answered calmly.

"Oh, not really. Listen, I'll be back in a little while. I'm a bit stuffy, so I think I'll go out for some air, get a glass of water maybe. I'll be back in a bit." She fetched her sketch pad from the corner where it lay, and unobtrusively slipped from the room, the babble swelling once more behind her.

In the boys' wing, an impromptu slumber party for the guys had been set up. However, this one was far rowdier. There had already been a fall from a crazy stunt pulled involving the light fixture overhead and a bedframe, a major popcorn war, and from the looks that Russell and Patrick were throwing each other, a foreseeable pillow fight on the scale of World War III was on the point of breaking out. The noise had been too much to resist downstairs and they had been joined by most of the younger X-boys. Bobby, Ray, Sam and Roberto had come to join. They had tricked Jamie into believing it was high-schoolers only. Kurt had also accompanied them, claiming to be keeping an eye on things, but he looked like he was enjoying himself far too much for just being the chaperone.

The beds, like in the girls' room, had been pushed together by the wall, and was occupied by three of the boys. Alex Rogers was talking animatedly to the tall Russian, Nikolai, while perched edgily on the end of the bed, Rapport was sitting still and silent. The two other residents would occasionally let their eyes flick to David. Both were slightly concerned. By now they knew that David had an advanced ability of receptive and projective empathy, allowing him to read and influence the emotions around him. For now, he was more relaxed, sensing the carefree and enjoyable mood surrounding him, but there was still tension in his posture. No one knew much about the first manifestation of his powers, but they did know that it had made him wary, keeping a strictly tight rein on his emotions and his mutation. Many had attempted to warm him to his fellow students, but he still held them at arm's length. Maybe he was just a loner that way, or his powers had him spooked enough into isolation, no one really knew.

Alex turned back to Nikolai. The Russian was the tallest among them, though he only passed Alex by an inch. He was slim, but with muscle, with a strong and good-natured face, the ears framed by black hair that curled by his ears.

"So, what do you do normally?" He asked the taller boy.

"Nikolai usually tends to play his violin. His older sister, she also plays violin." He replied, slipping into the habit of referring to himself in third person. The guys thought it was funny, and the girls found it cute.

"How long have you lived in America?"

"I haf been here since I vas eleven. Eet has been difficult at times, but my family has adjusted well. We live quite peacefully, until I became a mutant." His face crumpled in a slight frown. Alex felt sympathy. He hadn't experienced much prejudice, but he also had known hardship, especially after his mother died in the car accident that kickstarted his powers.

"Well Nik, being a mutant isn't something to be ashamed of. If anything has happened with your family, the people who have some issue with you because of what you are are responsible. It wasn't your fault."

"That's what _she _said," muttered Ray as he passed them. Alex didn't get it, but Nikolai exploded into laughter.

"Hey Kurt," called Lyle from his perch on the window sill. "How about poppin' off to the galley and snagging some grub. You are, after all, the chaperone." He smiled mockingly at the blue and furry teen. Kurt rolled his yellow eyes, then vanished in a cloud of sulferous smoke with a 'bamf'. He quickly returned with a few bags of chips, but his eyes were widened.

"I am not going back down zere," he told them firmly. "Logan is sniffing around down zere, and I don't vant him sneaking up on me. The vun time I caught him sleepwalking, I barely escaped vith my life."

The boys laughed, and asked him to recount the ordeal, Kurt more than happy to go into detail on the life threatening escapade.

Noa wandered the corridors of the darkened mansion. No one had noticed her slipping from the dorm just before the party began. Normally, Noa was sociable and fun loving. Parties though, were things she didn't like to participate in. Not that she disliked the crowd, or the activities, in fact, she would like nothing more than to join in the celebration. But now was one of the few times where her deafness limited her. All those people, and the voices all speaking loudly and quickly, were forever shut off to her ears. With so many girls talking at once, even while lipreading there was no way to keep up with what they were saying and doing. Also, not everyone knew sign language, and she was still having difficulty with English signing, being used to Hebrew. She was lucky Peyton took a lot of electives in school before coming here. Noa let out a soundless sigh. How she longed to be with them, but the chatter would only disorient her and burden the others while trying to translate for her.

She was somewhere on the second floor, and she felt a hollowness in her stomach. Maybe she could grab a glass of milk to quell the feeling. She descended the grand staircase, vaguely observing how majestic, if also eerie, the mansion looked at night in the dark. The utter silence in her ears and mind added to the feeling of quiet and suspense loneliness that gripped the mansion, and the girl that wandered its halls.

She went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of cold milk. She then wandered out again, thinking of maybe heading to the library for a late night read. Halfway there though, she saw a shadow moving down one of the moonlit corridors nearby. She almost squeaked in fear, not wishing for any surprise meetings in the lonely halls of a shadowy mansion.

Quickly, she ducked into the nearest door to her that was slightly ajar, which happened to be the rec room, and she managed to squeeze in without opening it further. She leaned against the wall, relief radiating from her. Noa realized then, that it was most likely Mr. Logan making a late night patrol. Still, she thought, I'd much rather not run into him at this hour. She kept perfectly still as the shadow passed the doorway. She slumped, only to stiffen again as she realized she wasn't alone.

Black Diamond sat in a chair on the opposite side of the room from the door, a book open in her lap and mild amusement flickering in her ever changing eyes. Noa stood straight, embarassed, and was about to leave when Black Diamond signed to her in perfect Hebrew.

"_**No, it's alright. You do not have to leave. Come and sit, until the Wolverine returns to bed and we can both leave safely."**_

Noa was slightly taken aback but approached the older girl nonetheless. Though the distance in the black haired girl's expression remained, the slight emotion that showed through grew a little warmer with welcome. Noa sat on the leather sofa beside the chair and signed back.

"_**Thank you, and I'm sorry for barging in, I didn't expect to find anyone down here this late. How is it that you know how to sign in Hebrew so well?"**_

The pale girl hesitated before replying. _**"It's quite alright, I only came down to escape the noise. I was invited of course, but that kind of environment is not for me. And to answer your question, I never really had many close friends back home or in England, so I had a lot of time on my hands and a desire to learn."**_

Noa was feeling much more relaxed as their silent conversation continued. _**"So, you come from England?"**_

"_**Partly. My mother lives in England, but I mostly grew up with my father in Romania. I visited my mother in the summers, up until my powers manifested themselves. Then I lived with mother for two years before arriving here."**_

Noa had caught a flicker in the for-the-moment emerald eyes for an instant before it vanished. The question itched on her tongue and fingers, eager to ask, but Noa refrained. She was still slightly intimidated by the tall girl sitting near her, and a merely pleasant nighttime candid conversation would hardly justify what was obviously a personal question so soon.

Black Diamond broke her thoughts by signing to her again. _**"I never really properly introduced myself. I'm Tsarina Ibanescu. The first name is actually Russian, but my mother liked it."**_

"_**I'm Noa Rivkin. In that case, I'm glad I'm deaf, cause I know people think it's a boy's name and I'm sure they say it."**_

"_**They do."**_ A slight smirk crossed Tsarina's black lips. _**"If it's any consolation to you, I can zap them should they make the comment again."**_

"_**Nah, it's all right. I'll just watch Kung Fu Panda or something and give 'em a good whipping myself.**_ She saw the slightly confused look on Tsarina's lovely face. _**"Oh, sorry. That's what I do, I have muscle memory. If I see something done, like cooking a food dish or a certain fighting move, I can copy it exactly. It's pretty cool most of the time, but sometimes there are drawbacks. Like when I watched a documentary on wild cats."**_ Noa's fingers faltered, and she momentarily looked both discombobulated and scared. Tsarina waited patiently as she collected herself and fired back a question to bury the pause. _**"What's your mutant power?"**_

For a moment, even though her face didn't change, Noa thought she could see the shifting eyes darken. It was hardly perceptable, but she still felt a slight tremble of fear in her stomach, from what she didn't know. Tsarina thought for quite a while before replying.

"_**My…abilities, are rather difficult to explain. I have never fathomed their extent completely. I absorb energy, but not just a certain kind. All types of energy I can attract into myself and convert them to my use. I can transform the energy into a psionic force that can create shields, energy beams, and weapons. It's all useful, but that is only a small faction, I believe, of what I can do. I've been studying and talking with the professor about some of the powers I will be able to obtain. Flight was mentioned, and also a kind of invulnerability. Nothing is certain though."**_

Tsarina looked for a moment as though she were about to mention something more, but stopped abruptly and nodded, indicating she was through. Noa felt again the twinge of curiosity but forced it down. Suddenly the door creaked behind her, and she jumped, expecting to see a furious Logan ordering them to bed or else a midnight DR session. Instead, two young men entered: one tall and burly with black hair and blue eyes, the other with mussy auburn locks and crimson and black eyes burning in the low light. The former Acolytes ignored the two girls and sat at a table in the corner, flicking on a lamp, as the smaller man pulled out a deck of cards and began to shuffle and deal them to the other man.

Noa finally had a question she believed was appropriate to ask. She signed to Tsarina. _**"How were you reading in the dark?"**_

She smirked and in answer her eyes shifted to the burning yellow and slitted eyes of a cat, and they glowed opaque in the light from the lamp. Noa 'ah'd' silently; night vision.

Once again, the door behind them creaked. Thinking that this time for sure it was Logan, Noa saw that instead it was Aqua, and behind her David Issacson, both with circles beneath the eyes but still wide awake countanances. The man shuffling the cards in the corner mumbled in a thick Cajun accent.

"T'ought lights out f'r de kiddies was two hours ago." The Russian only shrugged.

Aqua seemed surprised to find her roomate there, but didn't ask questions, especially about the unlikely companion. She mouthed, _"Had to get some air. Met David coming down the stairs."_ Noa smiled lightly.__

The new arrivals sat on the couch, enjoying the quiet only broken by the sound of rustling playing cards. Tsarina turned her head to watch. The Cajun man caught her looking and gave her his most charming and disarming smile. "Would de _p'tite femme_ and her _amis_ care to join for some poker?"

He had expected her to blush or simply turn away. Instead, she spoke in a soft voice and signed to the others, who all nodded. They then extricated themselves from their respective seats and joined them at the small table. Gambit was slightly taken aback. This was not what he had been expecting.

The pale girl and the Israeli sat down gracefully, the tall girl a little slower, and the boy hovered for a moment apprehensively. Remy wondered if he was just naturally nervous or if this was a reaction to being in the presence of two former enemies, as was commonplace these days. He reached out with his empathic sense and was again surprised to encounter a similar field of ranging emotions. _"Kid's an empath, an' from dat mind, a danged powerful one too. Guess he's jittery cause he don't got much control yet."_ He felt sympathy for the teen, remembering how difficult it was for him when the power first appeared. He made a mental note to drop the kid some hints on control later.

He dealt out more cards to the nocturnal poker party. "Any o' you ever play poker b'fore?" Only the Israeli nodded.

He taught them the basic rules of the game, and promised them he and Pete wouldn't beat them into the ground the first time.

"You're an odd bunch, no offense." Gambit stated nonchalantly. "First people I know who'd take to playin' poker with me an' Pete." _"First people who don't care what we've done in our pasts."_ He thought.

The pale girl spoke vaguely, as if hardly paying attention to her own words. Her voice was a rich mingle of a British and Romanian accent that flowed and rolled like a stream in the mountains. "Why wouldn't we? What someone has done is of no concern to us, nor what they may do in the future. It is the present that counts when judging character. And if you're willing to indulge us in poker at this hour, then any ill judgement on my part is notwithstanding." Her eyes flashed bright blue with a tinge of amusement. The others nodded in silent agreement.

"So, what are we stalling for? Let the misfits forget their moping and play poker already." Faint snorts of laughter were heard round the table as their quiet game began.

Outside of the Bayside hotel, the most prominent and fanciest hotel in Bayville, the Brotherhood was crouching. They still knew little of what Morpheus and his gang had planned, but if it involved the hotel, it had to be good.

Inside the hotel, Zenia approached the front desk, shifted into the guise of a woman in her late thirties with dark hair tied in a bob and an intimidating presence. She approached the front desk where a young woman sat, looking tired. She placed perfectly manicured hands on the front counter, red nails clacking against the marble.

"Excuse me," she spoke in a voice that commanded attention, or else. "I'd like to see the available rooms you have. An important client of mine is arriving tomorrow, and I'd like to make sure acommodations are up to the standards my customers expect of me, if he chooses to stay here."

The girl, half asleep as she was, handed over several sheets listing the available rooms. The phone rang and she turned around to answer it. Zenia, alias for the moment Ms. Martha Jonas, scanned the paper. Behind the glasses that covered her eyes, her gaze grew amused and triumphant. She placed the papers back on the desk for the girl and walked away. Instead of heading back outside, she went into a vacated office. She found a computer that was still logged on and sat down to work her magic. The German girl had many skills, and one of them was being a computer genius.

In record time, she opened a view of a false bank account she had made in the name of her disguise. She had set this up several months before, and it was working like a charm. She clicked on the option listed 'withdraw'. The computer asked for her credit card number and PIN code. Zenia grinned, pulling from a pocket one of many fake credit cards from among her paraphernalia of forged driver's licenses, ID cards, passports, debit cards, and so forth. She punched in the PIN and credit card code. The computer blinked, and the message popped up. _PIN and code accepted. Amount withdrawn._ Zenia leaned back to admire her hacker skills. She had learned the trick quite some time ago. The bank account was wired to access codes that opened her account straight to the national income. Whenever she withdrew money, the amount was passed from the income to her account, and right into whatever she put her mind to purchase. The country paid for her and her friends' luxury, with not a cent paid on their side. She grinned.

Outside, the Brotherhood were growing impatient. What was taking her so long? At last, a tall and ramrod straight figure walked toward them. Once behind the bushes, Zenia's familiar face reappeared.

"Everything's is ready. Ve just have to get in." Morpheus thought for a moment. After a moment he spoke to the group.

"Okay, this is how we're doing this. Quicksilver, you take Avalanch and Wanda with you. Zenia will go by herself, I'll take Pyro with me, sorry Toad you're climbing, and Blob will take the shortcut with Wraith." Fred looked severly uncomfortable with that arrangement.

"Hold up." Lance said, throwing Morpheus a suspicious look. "First of all, what are we doing and where are we supposed to be going?" Zenia pointed toward the roof of the hotel, where a large loft skylight showed.

"Alright, enough chitchat, let's go." Morpheus said. Without a further word, Wraith seized Blob by one chubby arm and simply melted away into the darkness in the shadows. Blob yelped with panic before he too vanished. Before any of the others could say a thing, Morpheus pulled Pyro up and walked toward the doors, Zenia following at a distance. Pietro, Lance, Todd, and Wanda were left staring. Pietro at last shook himself and grabbing the other two in a firm hold, took off like a lightning bolt through the doors. He made his best guess at the location of that skylight, and soon was standing with a dizzy Lance and Wanda in a dark corridor on the top floor, with a single door in the wall before them.

They waited nervously for several minutes, then jumped hearing footsteps. Up the stairs came Morpheus and Pyro, who looked overly thrilled, and a minute behind arrived Zenia, once again disguised. Morpheus went forward and knocked on the single door. It opened to reveal Wraith, his shoulders drooping with weariness as he ushered them in. The Brotherhood stared around in awe.

They had come into a magnificent penthouse suite with curtained windows, a crystal chandelier on the ceiling, and plush furniture in cream and gold colors everywhere. Two massive canopied beds were beside each other behind a room partition, and there was a small kitchen area.

"So, we thought since you guys don't do that much, we'd start off with an easy job. Hitch a fancy room and indulge in free luxury. Maybe in the future we'll teach you more of our trade secrets." Morpheus declared, heading to flip on the giant flatscreen.

There was a sudden insistent knocking on the windows. Blob, who still looked ill after his shadow traveling ordeal, staggered to the window and opened it. Toad was there, his eyes wide. He leapt in and collapsed. "Man, why did I have to be the one to climb. This old lady nearly knocked me off the window sill trying to open the danged window."

"It's good exercise," murmured Wraith. Toad tried to glare, but couldn't quite manage it.

Pyro was still gazing around with goofy delight on his tanned face. "Now this is the kinda place oy could get used to." He flopped on a cloud soft sofa and kicked up his feet. The Brotherhood began to relax and really take in where they were and what they were doing. Blob and Toad headed to see what they had in the kitchen, Pietro threw his stuff onto a bed, and the air of the room became light hearted and proudly triumphant.

Morpheus turned to Lance. "We prefer quiet, and organized crime for kicks. So, did we deliver?" he arched his eyebrow smugly.

Lance shrugged. "I guess you'll fit in alright." He went to join Pyro on the couch.


	5. Mainstream

**Ok, a heads up, I will be changing the ages of some of the OCs, cause when I looked over them again I saw that most were either seniors in high school or in college. I won't be changing too many, but to fit the story some will become younger. That's it.**

**Chapter 5 – Mainstream**

Sunday at the Institute dawned early and bright, unlike the residents within. After the late nights all around, most were groggy and by no means cheery. The morning was spent sullenly sipping coffee and flopping in the sun till the caffeine kicked in.

The afternoon brightened things. A group hiked down the trail behind the institute to the private stretch of beach below. Students were sprawled all over the lawns reading, eating, talking, snoozing, or just enjoying the autumn warmth. Logan was privately relieved. Unlike the first batch of new mutants, these kids were not quite as hell bent on destroying the institute in record time. Many were talking about the upcoming beginning of school tomorrow, and the outlooks were not great. Most of them had experienced mutant prejudice before hand, and were not looking forward to more.

The last day passed all too quickly, and after an exhausting DR session, they all wanted nothing more than showers and bed.

The next morning, there was pandomonium at breakfast. The plates were flying, the chatter was loud, and there were nearly constant screams over some necessary lost school item that someone or other couldn't find.

After the fiasco, the students piled into the X-vans, one heading to the college just outside of Bayville, and the other to the high school. Only Jean and Scott took Scott's cherry red convertible.

From the college bound car, Rogue huffed grouchily. She envied Ken and Barbie over there, listening to the slur of voices from behind her. The day of orientation, the Professor had asked her to remain on with the X-men for a year until the new students were in hand. Thankfully, Rogue was only taking general subjects for her AA degree, so it was easy just to take classes here for now. Unfortunately, she was dubbed as official chauffer for the older kids. At least she wasn't Kitty, stuck in the front seat with Kurt driving the high schoolers. She contemplated her position: back at the institute, no clear goal for the future, and just as untouchable as the day her powers first appeared. She sighed, unheard over the din. She wondered, couldn't the world ever be on her side?

XXXXXX

David entered the doors of Bayville high, and immediately regretted his decision not to take classes back at the Institute. The flood of emotions were overwhelming him. They pounded on his temples so strongly it felt as if someone were trying to drive molten nails into his skull. He clenched his teeth on a gasp and walked forward swiftly. He could feel hostility swamping them on all sides, and he could hear the whispers.

"More of those mutie freaks."

"Where do they all come from, and why can't they just go back there?"

"Can't they get it that they aren't wanted here?"

David tried not to snarl from the growing agony in his head. He felt a light touch on his arm, and turned to see Kitty smiling gently at him.

"Try to tune the jerks out. After a while you totally don't notice anymore. They just, like, don't understand yet." He nodded and turned his head to stare instead at his class schedule. His first class was Biology. He strode down the emptying hallways, as people began to disperse to their different classrooms.

Inara Richardson stayed by his side, since he had first period with her. She was silent, but her emotions spoke louder than words. He could read shyness, self conciousness, and a heady giddiness. He had picked up on this a lot yesterday, and had easily figured the girl had a crush on him,though not nearly as big as the one she had on Kurt, but he sure wasn't going to say he knew that. He thought it was kind of funny, since she was taller than he was and older by several months. She was cute, but he was reluctant to grow close to anyone, mainly because of his powers; he couldn't stand the pain of hurting someone, the pain to the other and to himself.

Over the years he had learned to differentiate the various sensations accompanying emotions. Happiness was a weird heady sense, like he had eaten too much sugar and took an anti-depressant at the same time, or what he thought what that would feel like. Anger was a strange one: like a violent burning along the skin and a deep freeze on the inside, centered in the heart. Boredom was a fuzzy static in the head and a weight in the limbs. There were many other sensations, but hurt and pain was by far the worst: an ache in the heart like it was being torn in half, a sting at the fingertips and eyes, constricted air ways like he was being choked, and a violent buzzing in his head. It was overwhelming enough on its own, but add it to his own emotions and whatever else that person was feeling at the time, and he could barely stand upright. Thankfully, Inara's emotions were mild for now, so it didn't affect him greatly.

"Hey David?" Inara nudged him and he jolted. "We're here. C'mon, let's see if we can find some decent seats." They both entered the room.

He was hit again by the animosity of the human students. He forced away the stabs like hot pokers and headed for an empty seat in the third row. Suddenly, a boy who came in behind them darted past him and snagged the seat. He sneered at them. "Sorry. Seat taken."

Inara glared and moved down the row with David. They aimed for two seats further back, but two preppy cheerleader girls placed their bags in them. "These seats are saved." More smirking.

"Cut the crap!" David snarled at them, and his voice was more intimidating than his small size let on. The dislike coming from the other students was reflecting off of him, turning his usually quiet and reserved demeanor more violent than normal. Despite this, he and Inara moved on, being rejected wherever they attempted to sit down.

The teacher walked in then. He looked over the situation.

"If you two don't sit down now, I'll have you sit up front near my desk. I won't take any of you mutants causing trouble in my classroom." The snickers were clearly audible, but the teacher ignored them. David's shoulders sagged despondently as he pulled Inara along before she could make a rude retort. They found seats in the far left corner, and settled down to endure the class.

By third period and lunch, Inara was about ready to infest the school with poisonous ivy. David often had to drag her away from sticky situations before she got them sent to the principal's office. He himself took the torment, fighting Inara's raging anger that ran in currents through him as he tried to project calmness. He was glad for her sake they had almost every class together except for P.E.

At lunch they didn't even attempt to sit at any occupied tables. Luckily, the other kids from the Institute had found a table and had crammed as many chairs around it as they could. Inara and David joined them.

"I've just about had it with this stupid school, and this is just the first day!" Inara cried in frustration as she plunked her food tray down. The others all nodded. They all looked weary.

Inara turned to David. "Um, thanks for all the times you pulled me out of trouble. I probably would have been expelled by now if not for you." She smiled gratefully. The wide eyes of her half Egyptian origin sparkled.

David smiled lightly back. "Your welcome. After all, you keep me from screaming at them myself." He really found her bright eyes lovely. He shook himself. He really shouldn't become involved with anyone until he had better control over himself.

Ray leaned over the table, reaching for the ketchup. "Man, I can't wait to get out of here. Even Logan's danger room massacres are better than the crap we go through here. And that is big, I've been doing those sessions for a long time and they still suck."

"Lucky Noa." Dalaja stated wistfully. "The professor recommended she take classes back at the mansion because she can't hear. In that case, she is better off than we are."

"Alright guys," Kurt spoke up. "Ve have a whole year ahead of us, let's try not to get too upset. Ve can get past all zhis."

"Says the guy who's graduating at the end of the year," grumbled Marshall Zealing, getting bitter agreement from Bobby and Lyle.

"Kurt's right everyone," Kitty spoke up with authority, which was a little strange coming from the perky brunette. "We can't let them get to us. Otherwise they'll have totally won. We gotta show them they can't push around." Murmers of defiant ascent met her, but no better. The table fell silent.

XXXXXX

Xavier walked the halls of the university, looking for his locker. The halls were wider than a high school's, and the lockers were larger. He manuevered about, fervantly thankful that no one knew they were mutants here. Not yet. He thought back with disgust to his rejection of jobs when he desperately needed one after moving here from Nigeria. He had reached the locker, and it wasn't opening, so he was currently assaulting it in the wake of his memories.

"Let me help with that." A feminine hand reached out and twisted the knob until it came loose. He met Aqua's eyes, and mumbled thanks. She shrugged in reply and they fell into step after he had retrieved the necessary items and headed to their first lecture.

Aqua spoke quietly. "Xavier, are you nervous? You know, first day of college."

"Not really, and Carter is probably better, people will confuse me with the prof. I doubt I'm ready though."

"Okay Carter, why don't you think you're ready?" Her silver-blue eyes were inquisitive.

"When I moved to this country, my dad got sick. I was spending most of my time looking for a job and taking care of him, so I didn't go to school for quite a few years, not that I could have afforded it anyway." He spoke as if he were telling her of his last trip to the grocery store.

Aqua looked startled, then cast her gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry about that."

"Eh, it's fine. Lately I've had a tutor, so I'm catching up, but my grades will most likely be horrible this first quarter at least."

"Well, we can't have that, can we? Guess we'll just have to pull a Logan and bring out the fiery whips till your up to scratch." Jonothan had joined them. Aqua shot him a shy smile before returning to contemplating her black combat boots. She wore a strange ensemble: a black half sleeve trench coat over a blue tank top, blue belt, and dark wash jeans. Her hands were encased in black fingerless gloves. Some would consider the outfit Goth or strange, but Carter thought it complimented her. He turned and caught Jon none-too-discreetly ogling her. He blushed and started whistling distractedly when he saw Carter's amused raised eyebrow.

Carter happened to glance at the clock mounted in the hallway. He muttered a cuss word.

"Hurry, we're almost late for the first class." The other two said the same cuss word at the same time and they hurried off.

They made it just in time and hustled for seats. He saw Rogue already seated, and Scott and Jean were up front, playing model students. The trio plunked their stuff down as the professor at the front began what looked to be one long and mind numbing lecture. Carter leaned back. He was already fighting the urge to drop and snore. _"Nervous? No. Excited? Heck no."_ His eyelids drooped again.

XXXXXX

David groaned as his eyes roamed to the clock. The class was almost finished; one more period to go, and they were free of the ridicule and torment. He bent over his geometry book, effectively blocking the emotions around him. He threw his mind completely into this final doozie of a problem, knowing that he had one hour until he was home free. The shrill ringing of the bell saw him out of his seat and out the door before the rest of the class had finished repacking their bags.

Gym was last class of the day, and David was relieved. At his old school, before his powers had gone haywire on him, he found P.E. easiest to bear. The minds of the people around him were so occupied with their physical performance that their emotions decreased substantially.

He deposited his books in his locker and headed out to the gym, having to cross the outdoor lunch area to get there. He hoped that Inara could hold in her temper while he wasn't around. She was normally a sweet and intelligent person, but the girl was being stretched to her limit with the bigotry and prejudice.

His keen ears picked up noises nearby. Voices, and by the sounds of them, the conversation clearly wasn't a friendly one. Without hesitation, he diverted his course around the side of the building, between the school wall and the chainlink fence bordering the school grounds. He halted, the anger and detestation roiling inside of him like the emotions were his own.

Inara was cornered by the fence by three brawny senior students in letterman jackets, with two of their cheerleader concubines hanging onto them and jeering alongside.

Inara's dark green eyes were narrowed, and David could sense fear and anger. He knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but using her powers like that were dangerous and would surely get her expelled, maybe even arrested. She wasn't a very experienced combatant yet and five to one were grim odds. Still, she spoke defiantly and held her head high.

"Listen, I'm going to be late for my next class. I haven't done anything to any of you and I don't know why you feel the need to persecute me. Please, leave me alone." She started forward, but one of the beefcakes put out an arm to halt her progress.

"You know," he drawled lazily, "it's a shame your one of those mutie freaks. You're pretty hot, and I wouldn't mind being with a girl like you if you were normal." The curly cheerleader behind him looked shocked and offended. "But you are, so I think we should teach you weirdos how to act around our school. Make sure you behave."

The movement was so quick that Inara could do nothing, and the next moment she crashed to the ground, her lip bleeding and cheek bruised from where the jock had hit her.

David felt the rush of fury and hurt from her so hot that he almost yelped in pain. Earsplitting cracks sounded about them, and a noise like wind echoed in the air. The assaulters gaped as the trees that drooped their leaves over the the fence twisted and writhed, standing up straight like soldiers. Out of the new cracks in the pavement around them vines twined upward, rearing up like cobras.

David leapt forward, past the group, and straight to Inara.

"Inara!" He cried, shaking her as she looked up dazed. "Stop, your powers!" Her green eyes widened, and she concentrated hard to reel them back in. Slowly, the trees fell back into their bent positions, and the vines withered and died, now only dry stalks on the pavement.

The jocks and cheerleaders stared in amazement and terror. David hoisted Inara up, staring in dismay at her face which was beginning to swell, the forewarning of a nasty shiner to come. He glared at the group, the remaining emotion he had absorbed lending him strength and defiance.

"Unless you want to bring trouble on yourselves, stay away from her. Stay away from all of us." He helped a still rather dizzy Inara forward.

The blast of emotion behind him warned him to dodge as one of the jocks surged forward, planning to put the impudent creatures in their proper places. David whirled, trying desperately to hold onto his feelings. He was no fighter, not yet. They had only been at the Institute two days, they weren't ready for this. A swift punch caught him in the abdomen, and he doubled up in pain. He heard Inara shriek something, but then the jock hauled him up by his collar, lifting the smaller boy off his feet.

"You're gonna pay, freak. Animals have no place here with normal people." Another hit across the face had blood trickling from David's mouth, his jawbone throbbing. The rage and pain in his head reached agonizing heights, fear added as he could feel the bigger boy squeezing on his throat, cutting off his air. With dread, he felt an all too familiar pressure building at the back of his mind, and tingling at his fingers.

"S-stop!" he choked out desperately. "Y-you don't…don't know what you're…" he gurgled as the jock clenched his fist harder, cutting off David's whimper of fear at the impending doom that was building inside of him.

"Go on." The jock sneered. "Squeal and cry for help like you should. But no one is gonna help you."

David could no longer bear it. The pressure in his head exploded, rushing like a boiling river from all over his body. His eyes rolled in his head as the fury, fear, worry, and sadness of the day blasted out of him. He could see nothing, but he could hear. He could feel the strain in his throat that told him he was screaming in pain, and he could hear the yells of horror from their attackers mixed with Inara's cry. For a moment, everything blackened and silenced.

When his eyes flickered back to normal, the ground wasn't smoking or anything burning. It all looked normal, except for the people near him. The jocks and cheerleaders were yelling, terror in their blank eyes, as they ran, threw themselves to the ground, pulled at their hair, appearing completely mad.

David rolled on the ground to see Inara. She wasn't acting like the others, but her eyes held the same haunted horror. She was staring at him from where she sat shaking on the concrete, but her eyes held pity and bewilderment beside what he had inflicted on her.

David gasped faintly at the shattering migraine in his head. He rolled over again, moaning as his hands grasped his forhead. _"Not again,"_ he thought despairingly. _"It's just like my manifestation all over again."_

He felt a gentle hand on his arm, and Inara pulled him to his feet.

"Come on David." Her voice was still shaky, but there was concern and anxiety not due to him in her tone. "We have to get away from here, now."

He nodded vaguely, and she pulled him away, their assailants still acting like madmen behind them. Inara forced him to a quick trot, hastening away from the frightful scene. They rounded the corner and screeched to a halt, their eyes widening.

"Oh no." Inara whispered under her breath as the principal seized them both by the shoulder and dragged them away. His expression was the farthest it could be from merciful.

XXXXXX

The college students filed down the steps from their first day. Scott felt pretty good about the day. He sure wasn't missing high school, since no one knew they were mutants here. He wasn't sure how long that would last, but he planned to enjoy every moment of it.

The students were chatting as they began to climb into the van, and Scott was moving to say something to Rogue when he realized that Jean wasn't behind him. He turned to find her a few yards back, eyes closed with her brow scrunched in concentration. He knew that she was having a telepathic conversation, and from the looks of it, an important one.

Jean's eyes flew open and her green irises were overbright with anxiety. She hurried to Scott and dragged him towards his car.

"Jean, what are you doing, what's going on?"

Jean leapt into the car and started the engine for him. "There was trouble at the high school."

Scott groaned. "If it's Bobby I swear I'm gonna…"

"No, it isn't Bobby. It was two of the new students. The professor contacted me, saying he was being summoned to the school on account of two of the students using their powers. The principal claimed they were torturing five other students."

Scott growled, his visor shining brighter. "I'll believe that when pigs fly. Those kids were being harrassed for being mutants, and if not I'll eat my visor."

"The professor wants us there." Jean explained. Scott sighed. So much for a good first day.


	6. Persecution

**Chapter 6 – Persecution**

Professor Xavier wheeled through the swiftly emptying hallways of Bayville high. The chatter of voices and minds around him he was oblivious to, his sole train of thought resting with his two new pupils that waited in the principal's office. He felt regret; after Principal Kelly had resigned to run for mayoral office, the professor had hoped someone would take the job who would be merciful and understanding to mutants. Unfortunately, his replacement was little better. He cared not to think about what his students might have heard from him before they had arrived.

Scott and Jean strode behind him, ignoring the pointed stares and jeers coming from former classmates. Xavier was proud of them, being so calm amongst the hatred of those who had once been their friends.

They entered the principal's office, just as bare and strict as it had been when Raven Darkholme a.k.a. Mystique, the former leader of the Brotherhood, worked there. The principal, tall and balding on the top, was standing behind his desk and staring impatiently at the door. His eyebrows arched with distaste when the rescue party entered. The professor saw his students, David and Inara, huddled in chairs in the corner. The five teenagers that the two had supposedly been torturing were nowhere in the room. The professor maintained a calm composure.

Scott and Jean however, stared at the younger teens with shock and pity and, most of all, anger. Inara's shapely caramel-skinned face was marred by a nasty bruise that spread to a black eye, the left side of her face and the eye were swollen, the lid almost shut. David was little better. He was bending over in his seat, one hand cradling his ribcage, and his face was also bruised with a split lip. Worse, his eyes looked vacant without emotion of any kind, and he would shiver every so often. Scott fought the urge to go and beat the stuffing out of whoever had done this to these kids. He had been acquainted with both Inara and David before today. Both seemed pleasant and intelligent, and that they should be treated like this set his blood boiling. Jean grasped his hand and gave it a warning squeeze.

The professor moved forward as the principal sat in his chair, his fingers laced.

"You were asked here on a matter of discipline for two of your students, as you are aware."

"I am aware of this." Xavier answered calmly. "However, you have only mentioned discipline. You have said nothing of consolation or of restitution."

The principal glared openly. The professor was glad he hadn't brought Logan. The feral man would surely have sliced the disgusted look off the principal's face in two seconds flat.

"Consolation and restitution? As I understand it, your students were the ones that were using illicit powers to torment five normal teens. I see only the need to address discipline and punishment."

Xavier felt anger for a moment. "First, I do not appreciate the term 'normal'. Inara and David are both good and talented young people, and excluding them for any reason is discrimination. Second, I trust that you are basing your accusations on both sides of this story?"

"I witnessed it with my own eyes. The boy used his mutant powers to drive the other students wild, and I saw evidence of the girl's powers nearby."

"And the other students have no warrant for inquiry? From what I can see, your opinion is based solely on the piece you saw, and the word of the five involved. I would like to hear my own students explain themselves before anything else."

The principal leaned back in his chair, his lip curled, but he didn't protest. Xavier moved towards the mutant teens.

"Now, David, Inara, what is your side to this tale?" The two teens explained honestly, of how Inara had been accosted, when she had been punched her powers got away from her, how David had intervened, and how the resulting fight had caused David to project his errotic empathy unintentionally. The principal's face never changed, but the professor nodded in acknowledgement. He turned to the principal.

"That is your situation. All the evidence stands as you saw it."

The man's expression grew even uglier if that was possible. "No one can vouch for this story, and even if it is true, there is still the matter of reparation for the mental assault on the five students. The parents of the five are threatening to press charges, and I wouldn't blame them if they did."

The professor sighed. He just wasn't getting through to this narrow-minded man. He turned to Scott and Jean.

"You two take David and Inara back to the Institute. Ororo is outside and will join me when you leave. These two need to rest, and I might be here for a while."

Scott and Jean nodded, and the high schoolers rose from their chairs. The principal opened his mouth to protest, but Xavier cut him off.

"You have no grounds to keep my students unless the other five involved are brought in as well. In fact, this kind of persecution would be considered unlawful, only retaining certain people who might be of guilty party. Also, forcing these two to remain here without even some medical treatment is inhuman and cruel, and if it happens again I will take action."

The principal shut his mouth. Though he detested any mutant, a wealthy one was not someone to become involved in a legal battle with.

That said, Scott and Jean herded David and Inara outside. Storm passed them, throwing tender looks at the injured teens. A flicker of fury appeared in her electric blue eyes as she entered the building. Soon, Scott's convertible was swinging out of the campus parking lot and back toward the mansion.

**XXXXXX**

The news of the issue had spread all over the institute by the time the four reached the mansion. David and Inara had been held back, so all the high schoolers had known of their absence. Irate comments and angry conversations were everywhere, declaring the innocence of their teammates and the injustice of their persecution. When they arrived, the student body crowded them. Yells of fury and defiance mixed with comments of sympathy as they all saw the state that David and Inara were in. The injured duo was swiftly ushered downstairs to the infirmary so Mr. McCoy could patch them up. Before an hour had passed, David and Inara were the heroic martyrs of the institute. Logan was in the Danger Room, cooling off so he didn't leave to wreak havoc on the high school. Despite his prickly nature, he cared deeply for all his trainees, and to see some of them abused as they were needed a level ten training simulation to burn off the violence and expletives that were pouring from him.

Several hours later, the professor and Storm returned. They looked tired and frustrated. The students, new and old, gathered to hear what had befallen.

Xavier held up his hands for quiet, and the noise was immediately smothered. "Thank you. I know you are all waiting to hear what happened. We did the best we could, and we must be content."

The kids all exchanged looks. That didn't sound cheerful.

"The parents of the human students, and the principal as well, pushed to have Inara and David expelled. It was prevented, but both will have suspension for a month and probation for another two."

Cries and shouts rang out, the mood growing considerably darker.

"That is in no way fair," shrieked Tabitha. "Those boneheads attacked first, why are our two getting the heavy punishment?"

"What punishment did the humans get?" Kitty called from the back.

"The humans get a week of detention," replied Storm.

Almost in complete unison, the whole crowd thundered. "WHAT? THAT'S IT?"

The professor called for silence again, but the furious rants drowned his attempts to stem them. At last, he sent a telepathic hush and all were quiet.

"I know that it is injust, but that is all they were willing to enforce. We must accept that these kinds of situations will arise, and not all will be dealt with fairly. For now, let us be grateful they weren't expelled." He turned to Inara and David, who were hovering on the edge of the crowd looking crestfallen. "You two will take classes here during your suspension. Don't worry, things will eventually work out for the better."

The mob broke apart, the smaller groups still muttering darkly.

**XXXXXX**

A week later, Nikolai, Bridget, and Dalaja walked the hallways of the school talking. The mutants now all walked in groups of three or more to prevent similar incidents to the previous day. Over the few days they had known each other, the three had become unlikely friends. They were a rather odd sight: the towering older Russian walking beside the small girls, but they ignored any stares or comments. They of course were discussing the previous week's fiasco.

"I still can't believe that those meatheads got off practically scot-free." Bridget snorted with derision.

"I know that the school would have to enforce something for our friends using their powers, but you are right," agreed Nikolai solemnly. "It was not right to give them such harsh punishment for an accident."

Dalaja's startling eyes glinted fiercly like chips of ice. "You heard the professor. Even that discipline was not enough for them. They wanted our teammates gone for good. I am sure they desire the same for all of us, no matter if we are innocent." Her clipped tone combined with her lack of contractions made the normally kindly girl sound cold and vengeful.

Nikolai pushed the front doors of the school open. Yet another day of torment had passed, and all were relieved that it was over at last. What they saw when exiting the building pulled them up short, mouths hanging.

The X-van had been vandalized. It was still intact, thanks to its purpose of transportation in battle situations, but the windows had been smashed in and the tires were deflated. Spray paint covered it, spelling out mutant-hating slurs. Trash had been stuffed through the cracks in the windows along with tree branches.

The rest of the Institute kids emerged from the building, also stopping and gaping at the damage. Cruel laughs from the other students pounded in their ears. Kitty and Kurt were shocked, and everyone else was on the brink of committing serious manslaughter.

Kitty strode down the steps, ignoring the insults. "C'mon everyone. We'll just like walk home." The others followed her, shooting death glares into the mob around them. The humans screamed rude words and threats at them all.

"You have no place here. Get out and don't come back!"

"You're nothing but mistakes. If you have decency, go jump of a cliff."

"Freaks!"

"Mutant trash!"

Bridget suddenly cried out as someone threw a cup of scalding coffee into her face, stinging her eyes. The girl who had done it laughed and shoved her. The little blonde stumbled into Dalaja, knocking them both over. When her eyes opened again, they were blank. The girl who had pushed her immediately adopted a vacant expression for an instant, then suddenly seized her head, her piercing shriek ripping the air.

Dalaja and Nikolai bent over their friend as pandemoniam broke out around them. The human teens went wild, half of them running for their lives and the other half lunging forward at the mutants. Kurt and Kitty gathered the group together as fist fights broke out, yells cracking what had been a peaceful afternoon atmosphere.

"Bridget? Bridget, it's Dala, can you hear me?" She shook her friend, but her eyes were still blank. The girl that had attacked her rolled on the ground, as if she were in the throes of a seizure. Her eyes were rolled back showing only whites, and her screams still tore the air. "Bridget, please stop!"

Bridget could hear her friend and was desperately trying to pull out of the girl's mind. She was in the darkest corner of her mind, shrinking away from the spectral serpent that haunted the girl's thoughts; her greatest fear. Dark and foggy landscape were everywhere except for one shaft of light far away, from which she could hear Dalaja's voice. Her psyche struggled to free itself of the fear that had attracted it in the first place. It was strange; a ghostly strand of light ran from her mental self to the snake, connecting herself to it. She couldn't leave as long as that connection was there. She concentrated until it hurt, attempting to break the bond. The cord of light snapped just as the snake lunged for her, Bridget dodging it and careening toward the exit in the girl's mind. She ran down a misty corridor, with blackness on either side. Openings, like windows, flashed by. The pictures and images within them were thoughts, memories, all the contents of a mind. The light surrounded her as she lunged for escape.

Bridget's eyes snapped back into focus. She could hear cries as she sat bolt upright, Nikolai and Dalaja on either side of her. What met her sight was terrible. Her fellow mutants were fighting desperately, restraining their powers, as the human teens surged around them. She had only been out for a few moments, but her friends were already showing injuries: black eyes, bloody or broken noses, split lips, even red marks of fingernails scarring arms and faces.

Her two friends pulled her to her feet as she prepared to jump into the fray as well, but her head was laced in pain and she sank to the ground again. Without warning, a voice, immeasurably beautiful, rolled over them like warm ocean waves. Bridget and the other Xavier kids turned as their assailants let their arms fall to their sides, smiles beginning to replace the murderous expressions of a few moments before. A group of about eight or nine people moved toward them. A tall figure dashed forward to catch Kitty as she staggered, a welt growing on her head.

"Kitty? Are you ok?" The anxious voice of Avalanch stirred the mutants from their painful stupors. The Brotherhood approached them. The X-men were taken aback to see three new faces that they had never seen before among them. The one at the rear was still chanting in a hauntingly melodic voice.

Lance looked up from the brunette. "C'mon. Morpheus can keep them distracted while we get out of here. Can you erase their memories?" he turned to the handsome boy behind him, who paused in his chanting for a moment to respond.

"They won't remember what happened, but I can't replace memories or get rid of the evidence. We'll just have to hope they stay dumb and don't put two and two together."

Lance turned back to the group. "Hope you guys can walk since we didn't bring the jeep."

Dalaja called out. "Bridget cannot stand. Her powers got away from her."

Bridget attempted to protest and tell them she could walk, but before she could one of the new guys, a tall and dark one, stepped in among them and lifted her easily. She fought the urge to squeak, one because she didn't know this guy and he intimidated her more than a little, two she could feel the well-toned muscles in his arms and lean torso. Bridget had to admit, it was nice in this strange boy's arms.

"I shall take the _fetita_." His voice, though not as stunning as the other boy's, was certainly intriguing. She tried to remember the accent, she knew she had heard it recently. Bridget gave herself a mental slap. _"Of course, he reminds me of Tsarina. He must be pure Romanian since his accent is even heavier than hers."_

Kurt seemed extremely wary of leaving Bridget with the Romanian, but as he fully took in their situation he decided that it was the more ideal option. A few other kids didn't look fit for a lengthy walk and would need help. He turned to Lance. "So, vhere are we going?"

"Back to our place, there's no way I'm walking all the way to your mansion. It's all the way across Bayville." Kurt nodded and went to help the hurt teenagers, ready to teleport them to the Brotherhood boarding house.

Without another word, Emilian turned with Bridget in his arms toward the wall of the school and walked forward confidently. She was about to ask what he was doing when the shadows swallowed her. It felt like she was being sucked down a drain at high speed. The girl trembled at the blast of frigid air around her before the blackness receded, and they were in a shabby living room with beat-up furniture. Bridget gasped as she tried to recover from the shock of the new and rather unpleasant sensation.

There was complete silence as Emilian just stood there, still holding Bridget. She didn't dare to move, feeling guilty knowing she didn't want to be put down. But his skin felt cold beneath his shirt and she shivered. His dark eyes flicked down to her and he gently settled her on her feet. Bridget blushed.

"Uhh, thanks. That was, um, interesting." She tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear. He however, just stood back without acknowledging her shyness.

"_Esti bine venit."_ He didn't look at her, instead letting his eyes roam the room, his face not betraying a scrap of thought.

Bridget once again attempted to start a conversation. "So, I could tell Kurt and Kitty didn't recognize you. When did you arrive here?"

He responded uninterestedly, still not meeting her eyes. "Four days ago. Call it for conveniences sake." Nothing else. Bridget was sincerely grateful when there came a familiar **bamf** as Kurt appeared, supporting Jubilee and Lyle. She greeted them and they sat down to wait as Kurt ported back to help the others. Within ten minutes everyone, Brotherhood and X-men, were crammed into the living space of the boarding house. The Brotherhood were surprised at the amount of people the X-men had acquired and knew there were even more that weren't here.

"So…what now?" Inquired Bobby as he nursed a swollen finger.

Wanda spoke. "Just wait, and I'm sure your fearless leader will be here to get you soon enough. I'm sure you all have some kind of tracking devices on you or something." On cue, a small object on each of Kurt's and Kitty's belts began beeping softly.

No one looked comfortable, except Pyro, who glanced around while whistling Dixie and reached into his pocket for a lighter. He sat down in the middle of the space and set light to a pillow, using the flame to begin making shadow puppets on the wall, oblivious to the disbelieving and concerned looks from all around him. There was silence until Lyle shrugged, plopped down next to him and began making shapes from the flames. Pyro laughed with delight and soon both were playing contentedly with the fiery orange tongues.

The ice was broken. Kitty went to Lance and began to talk. Tabby joined Freddy and Toad, dragging Amara with her. Morpheus leaned on the doorframe flirting shamelessly with the girls, Zenia at his shoulder as she gave him a reproving look.

Kurt turned to Pietro. "Vhy did you help us? I didn't think you liked us in zhe slightest."

"Who says we do? We detest you X-geeks, but we'd rather side with you than any of those others." His sapphire eyes narrowed and Kurt saw the ghost of Pietro's father, the infamous Master of Magnetism, on the white haired boy's face.

They held reserved conversations until Logan and Scott arrived in the other X-van to pick them up. The X-men said unsure thanks to the Brotherhood, and then left for home.

On arriving they were all ushered into the war room to be debriefed on the afternoon's catastrophic events. Upon hearing the tale, the professor looked wearily at all his students.

"I applaud how you all showed restraint in not using your powers, but I cannot deny that what has happened could have dire consequences. Let us hope that this will remain a mystery for the present. It is interesting to hear this news of the Brotherhood's newest acquisitions. What were the nature of their mutations?"

Kitty answered him. "Well, the guy Morpheus seemed to have some sort of like hypnotic thing, the girl Zenia we aren't sure about since I didn't see her use her power, and the tall Romanian guy could like walk through the shadows and teleport like Kurt." The professor nodded.

"That particular ability is called Umbrakinesis, the ability to manipulate and travel through the shadows. It's a very mysterious power and not one I'm very familiar with. I can use Cerebro to determine the girl's power, if she uses it. Hmm, well, let us hope that the new members will not mean trouble to come. From what has occurred today, it will be the last thing we need."

**XXXXXX**

"No!"

The despairing cry rang through the mansion, the residents throwing open doors to see what the commotion was about. They thundered down the stairs towards the living room from where the voice had come.

Three days had passed since the incident and they were all beginning to relax, believing that this time Lady Luck was on their side. When they arrived in the living room though, all those hopes were dashed.

Peyton was standing rigid, her normally mischievous face ashen gray and stricken, staring at the widescreen television. The news was on, and playing in the grainy feed of a security tape was the whole mess. Mauling teenagers swarmed on the school lawn, the yells silenced since the security cameras had no audio. At the center, the news network had been kind enough to highlight the cluster of mutants. They had even circled the screaming girl as Dread's powers afflicted her. The students all sank into seats as the news anchor came back on screen.

"From the video tape, the fight was triggered by a disturbance here." The woman rewound the tape and indicated a knot of movement near the back, blocked by the black and white figure of Amara. A moment later, a tall brunette with short cropped hair collapsed to the ground holding the sides of her head.

"It is uncertain whether the mutants intended an aggressive outcome. It is also undefined whether the mutants attacked intentionally, but it is certain that the overall fight began as a result of this attack. The human students involved claim to remember nothing of the incident, but are sure that this video tape is an accurate record of accounts. They believe that the loss of memory is also because of mutants. The school board of the Bayville school district and the city council are addressing the issue of arising mutant violence in the tri-state area. A similar event occurred last week at the Bayville mall…"

Bridget dropped her head into her hands as the others continued watching the news reel, the silence a grim press around them. She could feel tears of shame and self loathing welling behind her eyes. Her power was what had brought this on them, her stupid and evil power. She shuddered, the fear of the girl now inside of her. It was just a pale ghost of a fear, but it was there nonetheless, and always would be.

The professor had arrived. The living room now contained all of his students, new and old, and all turned to him with uncertain faces.

"What's going to happen now?" Masato asked. He among the others was one of the calmest. They all clung to his steadfast nature, glad that some of them could be composed.

The professor looked again to the screen and shook his head. "I do not know."


	7. Battle Front

**A/N: I'm sure everyone's hyped at the chapter title. Who's ready for action?**

**Chapter 7 – Battle Front**

Three months had passed. In such a short span of time, so much had changed. The new students were experiencing one of the hardest aspects of being X-men. Ever since the mutant vs. human video from the school had been released on the news, floods of mutant related issues and violence were pouring through the media. In the span of barely ninety days, the country had reached a level of such anti-mutant paranoia that didn't even match the fear and hatred that emerged when mutants first appeared. Anti-mutant groups, the most prominent named the Friends of Humanity, were springing up like weeds all over the country, spreading hostility and brutality. Normal reports of mutants being attacked and even killed darkened the news almost every night. Congress was now discussing passing a law for a Mutant Registration Act, where mutants would be forced to identify themselves and reveal their locations. Many mutants didn't dare think what would come from this.

In Bayville, the Xavier Institute was almost in lockdown at all hours as crowds of local mutant haters mobbed the gates. The Brotherhood were not bothered, but the X-men suspected this was greatly due to Wraith and the Scarlet Witch. Not even the most detesting human would dare to assault the boarding house when the shadows and the streetlights began attacking. Bayville high had imposed a 'temporary' mutant ban, for how long no one knew. The X-men now took all classes at the institute.

The professor would never show it, but he was nearly at wit's end. The country, through its own prejudice, were driving them into a state of darkness and fear that he couldn't see an end to. Despite this, he felt pride in his students. They were flourishing in their control of their powers. He had been surprised to see Rapport often with Gambit, learning to restrain his empathy. The professor felt gratitude toward the former Acolyte for helping the boy, and felt it was a good way for him to earn the trust of his team. Black Diamond had reached new limits with her undiscernible powers, and Dalaja had a small amount of control over water without connecting to it. Doc and Elementress had grown to be good friends.

There were, however, some people who's powers remained stubborn. Dread had become more melancholy, believing it her fault that all this trouble had come about. The others insisted that she was blameless, but her depression remained. As a result, her powers were still sporatic and dangerous when being used. And one of his first students, the Rogue, was still untouchable. He had almost daily sessions with her, believing it was a mental block that kept her from controlling her powers. Yet every session ended the same: she would absorb whoever was helping, adding to the psyches in her head. It was heartbreaking as her face grew more despondent every day.

Among his new students, several leaders in the troubled times had emerged. StoneHeart was a steadfast member that many relied upon. Scott found a great support in the unfazable teen, and had a great trust and respect for him. Dynamo and Prism were both assets in training sessions, as was Reflect, who was becoming one of their most powerful fighters among the new recruits. Wreck, surprisingly, was excellent at taking charge, and her lively and unbreakable spirit kept them lighthearted.

His first students held well under the pressure, but the close confines were beginning to tell on them. Kitty and Kurt tried to keep the mood lively. Rogue was excelling her combat class in leaps and bounds despite the discouragement of her powers. Scott and Jean remained the fearless leaders in face of their trainees, but both were becoming stressed, showing it only in solitude. Logan was never a pleasant person to be cooped up with, but thankfully it was more than easy for him to slip past the crowds at the gates to get some fresh air. Storm was collected and serene as ever.

The students themselves could feel the changes that had come upon them. Everyday they trained, it was almost as if they could detect themselves growing faster, stronger, more agile. Their souls were hardening as well; resistant to abuse, ridicule, and hatred. It was cruelly ironic: everyday they grew stronger, everyday they needed that new strength more.

They had taken certain measures to make things easier on their new lifestyle. An underground tunnel system had been connected with the lower levels, leading to the sewers of Bayville. This way, they could have easy access to the city without going through the mobs surrounding the grounds. Now they were in frequent contact with the Morlocks, and Evan alias Spyke was in and out of the mansion quite often. Image inducers were distributed to the younger students who were still not experienced in defending themselves without powers. Whenever they left the mansion they now traveled in groups. The X-men were livid over the cowering state they had been reduced to, but the professor convinced them that with the country in the grip of this panic there was little they could do to change it without causing even more damage. So with reluctance, they retreated into their sanctuary, growing both stronger and weaker with every day that passed.

**XXXXXX**

Blonde hair whipped as Wreck whirled about to face the Sentinel looming over her. She was alone, but she wasn't the least bit afraid. The Sentinel was a machine, and that put her in control. She dashed forward, brushing a delicate gloved hand along the robot's foot as it aimed its blast cannon at her. Peyton felt the rush of warmth in her arm as the Sentinel shuddered and stumbled, its power now residing within Wreck's body. The girl scooped up a broken metal fence post and swerved back toward her target. The pole glowed with yellow charge as she jammed it into a nook in the Sentinel's outer armor. There was a shattering crackle as the power flowed up the Sentinel, splitting its exoskeleton and bringing it to its knees. Without hesitation, she jumped and clambered up the metal shoulders like one would a rock wall. Reaching its head, she whipped out a thick metal cutter, slicing a square in the monolith's helmet as it rose once again to its feet. A grin spread Wreck's lips as she reached the central cortex, clinging tight as the robot swayed beneath her. Her fingers wrapped around the brain of the machine, and the language only she could understand played in her mind: a series of beeps, whirs, creaks, every sound and defect telling her everything. It told her of the weaknesses, the systems, the important parts, where the metal was straining, and how much more damage it could take.

"Say hello to my little friend." She withdrew a small, pointed device from her belt and shoved it into the cortex. It sparked and then blew, and the Sentinel staggered and fell, Wreck riding it to the ground like Legolas from Lord of the Rings. The thundering boom rocked the cityscape as it hit the street. Peyton leapt off, brushing her hands on her camo cargo pants.

"Not a bad session if I do say so myself. And I do." She smirked. "Deactivate simulation." The danger room powered down, the Sentinel changing back into a now-incapacitated practice droid.

In three months, Peyton Manheim had changed physically. Her blonde hair had grown out to her waist, and despite her still small size, she had morphed into a tiny teen powerhouse of recently-turned-thirteen. On the outside she still looked innocent and helpless, but if one saw past the baby soft skin, flushed cheeks, and wide eyes they could detect the catlike muscles lying sleekly in her arms and legs. She stretched her arms above her head, flexing the sliding musculature in her back as she yawned. She knew that in male company this would earn her more than a few admiring stares. There was a loud buzzing, and Cyclops' voice echoed through the intercom in the control room.

"Not bad Peyton. You handled it well, but next time could you tell someone when you'll be doing a solo run. You could have been hurt and if I hadn't walked in no one would be able to help you."

"Chill Scotty. I'm perfectly capable of handling one Sentinel, you know. And how long were you watching by the way?" Her glinting chocolate eyes flickered to the control room, a devious grin lighting her face.

"Only since you used the fence post to neutralize it. The reason I came looking for you though is that you're with me this time for a supply run."

Wreck groaned. "Why can't you just admit that we're going grocery shopping and errand hopping. We all know calling it a 'supply run' doesn't make it any less boring."

"Come on Peyton. If you want to keep eating and showering we have to do it. So clean up and meet me in hanger in forty five minutes."

"Whatever you say goggle-boy." She muttered under her breath as Scott left. She hurried from the danger room and upstairs to shower and change. Exactly forty five mintues later she flounced into the hanger, her damp curls bouncing, wearing a white shirt with blue horizontal stripes and grey jeans. Scott was waiting by a black jeep, tapping a foot impatiently.

"Relax, I'm on time." Peyton slid up next to her team leader. He just nodded to her and climbed into the driver's seat. Peyton pulled her lips into a small pout. "Can't I drive? It's not like we're going to run into any traffic cops down here. And don't you pull that 'you're to young' excuse, I can probably drive even better than you can."

"Yeah I know. I'd just like to keep some sense of seniority. Plus, I do know the tunnels better than you do."

"Pff, _seniority_. You just don't want Remy, Roberto, and Carter catching me chauffeuring you around again," she stated indignantly as she jumped into the passenger seat. Scott opened his mouth to protest but then closed it again. It was pointless to argue with this thirteen year old with the attitude of someone twice her age. Also, she was right on the point of not getting caught again, though he'd never admit it. Instead, he turned the key in the ignition and steered the jeep into the underground tunnels.

The passageways were similar in design to the lower levels of the mansion, but wider and higher. They were an intricate maze with steel doors requiring identification to pass. It would be nearly impossible for someone to enter who wasn't supposed to be there. Scott found them useful, but resented that they had need of them at all. After about twenty minutes they turned off onto a slope. They reached one more door that required a retinal scan and password to open, which then slid apart to reveal bright sunlight. The jeep rolled out of the ground in a wide alleyway and swung out into a town just a few miles north of Bayville.

They went to various places: first to the pharmacy to pick up necessary supplies for Dr. McCoy, then to the hardware store, and at last to the superstore to pick up the last items.

Inside they separated; Scott heading for the food aisles and Peyton to pick up soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and feminine products. She fingered the credit card Professor Xavier had given her to buy the items, wondering if she should indulge in the makeup set shining distractingly on a display stand in the cosmetics aisle. The girl sighed; no, she would get only what was necessary.

When she had everything on the lengthy list she carried, she met Scott at checkout. They left the store, glad nothing unpleasant had occurred. As they exited, they passed a man and woman getting out of their blue Civic. Both were engaged in a fervant conversation.

"Honestly, I don't know why those fools in Congress don't just pass that registration law and lock those creatures up like they should. None of us are safe until they're put away for good." The woman stated firmly, her husband agreeing heatedly. Peyton felt a growl in her throat, but Cyclops nudged her and leaned over to whisper. "Pay no attention Peyton. They don't matter, and besides, we can't show aggression."

The blonde still looked murderous, but turned her gaze away from the man and woman, instead reaching for her receipt and studying it intensely. Scott relaxed as the couple entered the store, and he swung back into the driver's seat.

Peyton hesitated, then turned. Her eyes darted about, looking for possible witnesses. Seeing none, she brushed her hand over the blue Civic's hood. For a moment she could hear the mechanical language before a metallic screeching that only she could hear reached her eardrums. Wreck smiled like the Grinch and clambered up into the jeep.

They were long gone when the couple came back out to their car. Climbing in, the man started the engine only to hear the car shrieking around them before a blast of smoke hit their faces as the vehicle collapsed into pieces beneath them. The engine of the car let out one last pathetic sputter before it coughed and died.

**XXXXXX**

Scott pulled back into the hanger, and he and his companion began unloading the numerous bags from the trunk and backseat. They staggered upstairs with them, making it as far as the entryway. Unexpectedly, the urgent voice of the professor vibrated through their heads, almost painfully.

"_All students and X-men, report to the war room immediately."_

Scott looked up startled, and Peyton's eyes widened in half apprehension half excitement. They simply dropped the bags in the few chairs nearby and sprinted back downstairs to the war room. Above them and ahead of them they could hear the thundering of many more footsteps. Jean, in levitating flight, shot past them and rounded the corner.

Peyton and Scott burst in, the room already crowded and even more people coming. Logan paced the room, already in battle uniform and Storm hovered anxiously. At last Eclipse and Waver skidded in, accounting for all of the mansion's occupants. The professor looked over them all.

"Cerebro has detected a sudden use of many concentrated mutant powers in western New York state. They are all centered on a prestigious university of genetics located out there. I don't recognize any of the mutant signatures, but from the amount of signatures and their large activity I doubt that they're presence there is friendly."

Whispers broke out until the professor silenced them. "X-men, suit up and prepare to investigate this development. Be prepared for violent outcomes. From what I can make of the mutants I have detected, none of them are of the cleanest records and pasts."

"I also believe that our new students are prepared enough to face their first assignment. The larger numbers are needed." The new students let out exclamations of fear and anticipation.

"You are dismissed, and good luck to all of you." The room emptied quicker than one would have believed possible. Xavier sincerely hoped his new pupils were ready for whatever they were up against.

Peyton stepped from the locker room, fully suited. She fixed her headset in place and tied her sneakers before rocketing toward the hanger. Beside her, Dread's face was drawn with nervousness while Elementress' was set in determination. The X-men crowded in the hanger as most of the team boarded the X-jet, the other half to the newest jet, the _Blackbird_. Wreck found herself seated in the Blackbird, Copycat on her right, Doc on her left, and Black Diamond situated behind her. Logan and Storm were up front in the pilots' seats. Receiving the order from Scott and Beast in the X-jet, Logan pulled back on the steering device and the jet rolled forward, picking up speed.

Wreck leaned back, trying to thrust down the butterflies in her stomach. Their first real mission as X-men, and Wreck was more scared than she had ever been in her life.

**XXXXXX**

Shadowcat peered around the X-jet at all the teens who were about to face their first battle. She wondered if this was how the professor had felt when his original six X-men met their first fight. At least they had only been facing off against the Brotherhood their first few times. These guys would be jumping into the unknown, completely new adversaries with unknown abilities. Kitty fought away the queasy feeling, hoping that whatever they were up against wasn't so dangerous as to put lives at risk.

She could hear Scott speaking from the front. "ETA to destination, seven minutes." Shadowcat looked back at the new kids. StoneHeart appeared as calm and collected as ever, his face determined. Dynamo and Torch were muttering a conversation excitedly while Oceana bounced in her seat nervously. The newer official X-men, including Multiple Man, Sunspot, and Magma appeared more composed but there was still edginess in their stances. They hadn't seen major action since Apocalypse and everyone was tense.

"We've arrived at our destination." Everyone started as the X-jet touched down. They all leapt from the plane, Scott leading and directing the plan of action. The Blackbird team had joined them.

"We won't be jumping into it right away. I'll send a forward team to check out the situation and report back what they find. Then, depending on what they discover, we'll move in from there. Okay, I need Shadowcat and Nightcrawler to lead with Iceman, Waver, Biofuse, Doc, and Wreck. Circle the perimeter and try to see without being seen. Go."

The scout team made for the outer walls of the facility grounds. Wreck was trembling with tension, wondering what awaited them. The genetics facility was just outside of the city of residence, surrounded by high concrete walls that sheltered the various buildings within. As the strike team drew closer, sounds began to reach them. Yells, blasts, and crumbling debris all met their ears.

Nightcrawler turned to them. "Alright, ve split into two groups. Shadowcat will take vun, and I vill take zhe other. I'll take Iceman, Waver, and Doc." He motioned for them to follow him as the blue mutant crept along the west wall. Shadowcat led her team back along the south wall. They reached an ideal spot.

"Let's see what's going on." Shadowcat gripped the hands of Biofuse and Wreck and phased their heads through the thick wall. What they saw had all three gulping.

Swarms of facility guards in blue uniforms ran hither and thither all over the expansive grounds. Several of the posh looking office buildings were smashed and the debris was scattered over the grounds, while other buildings burned with light from fires that were steadily spreading. What had them most worried was the solid mass of bodies that moved unrelentingly for the buildings. They were all dressed in identical red and black and marched like an army. Blasts of flame and colored energies fired out of the ranks of mutants, sending the human guards running.

Kitty seized her communicator. "There's like an army of mutants in here. The guards can't do anything, and the mutants are heading straight for the buildings. Even if we have all our X-men, this is gonna be a hard one to win." Her face was more than a little pale.

"We have no choice. We have to stop them from securing whatever they're after. Shadowcat, take your team around the right flank. Don't show yourselves until I give the signal."

"Got it." With that, Shadowcat pulled Wreck and Biofuse through the wall and sprinted forward, skirting the group of attacking mutants and staying low. Thankfully the sun was beginning to set, and the lengthening shadows kept them hidden. They crept closer to the advancing mutants. Wreck drew in a breath, preparing for the signal.

Suddenly a young woman, no older than Kitty, with pink hair stiffened. The ranks around her stopped. Her head lifted and she was perfectly still, then her head whipped around and she glared right at Shadowcat and her team. She yelled and the rest of the legion turned as well.

Kitty gaped. "We are so, like, doomed."

The mob surged forward.

**XXXXXX**

Scott's communicator crackled and Shadowcat's voice screamed. "We're compromised, they spotted us! We need, like, immediate back up!"

Scott turned to his team. "Now!"

They all charged for the perimeter walls. Scott lifted his hand to his visor, sending an optic blast that shattered the concrete. They rushed through to see Shadowcat's team fighting back scores of mutant terrorists. Biofuse lashed his sharpened appendages with accuracy, sending his enemies scattering from the deadly human weapon. Wreck was ducking in and out and around the blows, fighting like a little blonde panther. There was a blast of smoke as Kurt's team arrived to help. Doc knocked several mutants flying with a blast of his shields as Nightcrawler charged to help Kitty.

Cyclops' and Wolverine's teams charged into them. The mutants scattered for a moment at the unexpected counter-attack. They all stumbled as Elementress rocked the earth below them as the X-men leapt into the fray. Pandemonium ensued.

Wreck found herself backed up against Cyclops as bodies pressed them and then spread outward again. Cyclops spoke to her above the din of blasts and screams.

"Wreck, I need you to get a select group into the building they were headed for and secure it. We don't know what they're after, so you just need to keep them out of the building. You need to get past the security systems inside." He pressed his communicator. "I need Doc, Dread, Black Diamond, Colossus, Gambit, Rogue, and StoneHeart in that building. Wreck, go!"

Wreck nodded, delivered a crippling crotch kick to her opponent and ran flat out for the building. It was still a good distance off, but easy to see since it was the largest. She could feel her teammates converging around her, Rogue taking the lead. Wreck suddenly collapsed, someone having tackled her from behind. She whipped around to see a blueish haired man pinning her. She struggled to free herself, when the man was lifted from her, Colossus punting him a good distance over the lawn. He whirled in the air and like a rocket blasted back toward them. Colossus readied himself for a collision, but it was made unnecessary when a black energy beam and a glowing card knocked him, unconcious, from the air.

They all reached the building. "Come on. Wreck, get the door open." Rogue ordered.

Wreck stepped forward and placed her palm over the control panel on the wall. The machine whirred in her ears and the doors opened. Before she could remove her hand though, the security system told her something else. She whirled to the others.

"Someone's already inside. Their objective is on the top floor, Laboratory 4."

Rogue nodded and they all tore inside and pounded for the elevator as the Goth girl reported through the comlink. "We're in, but somebody beat us here. We're gonna trah ta intercept 'em."

Doc hammered on the up button but nothing happened. They all headed for the stairs instead. As they climbed the plan was laid. "We don't go chargin' in lahke the cavalry, we have ta get the lay of things and see what we're gonna be facin'. Doc and I'll go first, since we both got mental shieldin', in case there's a telepath in there."

"I don't t'ink so cherie. I go wit' da kid, I've got bettah stealth skills an' I also got mental shields." Gambit protested. Rogue glared, but consented that it made sense. She still didn't like him undermining her authority though.

They reached the top floor. They could see very little since all the lights were out. With a nod, Gambit and Doc crept off down the hallway. Doc was focused, moving nearly as stealthily as the master thief. They reached the end of the black corridor, outside of a door marked 'L4' in black figures. The two young men both eased to peer through the circular windows in the double doors. They could see the lay of a dark lab beyond the glass, and within two tall figures. Gambit slipped out his comlink.

"Dere's only two as far as we can see, but dere may be mo' den dat. Can't see 'em fo' de dark, an' dey ain't usin' dere powers."

"That'll have ta do; we can't let 'em get what they came for." Moments later they were joined by the rest of the group. Rogue held up three fingers to indicate when they would burst in, guns blazing. As her fingers dropped, the new X-men were coiled like springs, ready for anything.

The third finger dropped, and the doors burst open before them as they lunged into the room. They were briefly aware that whoever had been standing there was no longer, when harsh white lights blazed awake around them, nearly blinding the team. They backed into a defensive circle, blinking their watering eyes.

"Well, I should have expected to see the X-men here. After all, our arrival was not subtle. However, I am actually quite pleased to see so many of Xavier's new charges. I was hoping to meet them. It's good to see you again."

They all looked up, eyes squinting. A tall and muscled figure hovered over them, a dark purple cape billowing around the black and red armor. Glinting eyes peered down at them from the shadows of a long helmet. Rogue snarled.

"Magneto."

**Yes, I'm leaving it there. I know I'm evil and I like it. Mwahahaha! Don't worry, I'll try to update as soon as possible. Stay tuned.**

**By the way, all of Magneto's followers are real Marvel x-men villains. If you read the comics you might recognize some later.**


	8. First Confrontations

**Did anyone really think I'd leave you on a cliffhanger for long? I'm not THAT evil.**

**Chapter 8 – First Confrontations**

Nightcrawler had seen some serious action over the years as an X-man. He had fought Sentinels, the Brotherhood, and sometimes even his own teammates. He had never before now seen such a face off of so many varied mutant powers. Now he was squared off against a reptilian man with green and scaly skin and bulging red eyes. The red eyes flashed and eye beams similar to Scott's blasted towards him. Nightcrawler ported just in time to avoid them, but Reflect, who had been standing behind him, wasn't so fortunate. He was knocked flying backwards and lay still for a moment. Just as quickly he was back on his feet. He shot eye beams of his own back at the reptilian mutant who was sent crashing into two of his fellows. Reflect charged forward, a shimmer like heat haze gathering around his clenched left fist. He delivered a powerful hook to the mutants jaw. Nightcrawler could hear the jawbone breaking from here and winced. He turned away from where the Nigerian teen was mauling his opponent to scope out the rest of the battle.

Scott stood at the center with Magma and Boom-Boom, raining fiery vengeance down on the enemy. Wolverine was carving a path through the baddies like a lawn mower. Here and there an enemy would simply tip over or stagger holding their stomach as an invisible Waver worked through them. There was a sudden blast of screams and a group of seven mutants at least were sent running as Rapport let out a barely controlled empathic blast. Nightcrawler was thankful that Gambit had been able to teach him something. Whatever those people were experiencing was not pleasant. Copycat danced about like a ninja while tree roots blasted from the ground, catching up the attackers and flinging them this way and that.

Shadowcat appeared next to him, her hair whipping from where Cyclone was blasting hurricane-force winds down on the fighting.

"Shadowcat, does zhe Cyclops know who's behind zhis?" he had to yell over the howling gale.

"Not yet, but he sent a team into the building to secure the objective." Her valley girl accent had reduced when she had gone into X-man mode.

"Zhen let's hope that zhey are doing better than we are."

**XXXXXX**

"Magneto." Rogue growled at the shadowy figure above them.

"Of course Rogue. After all, what with all the anti-mutant hysteria that's been arising lately, did you really think that I wouldn't show up sooner or later. I give my greetings to Charles by the way."

"Cut the crap Magneto. Aren't ya ever gonna stop your mutant superiority circus, or are we gonna hafta shut ya down ourselves." Her accent was growing heavier with agitation.

"The world will never accept us, and unless we retaliate we will be exterminated. I cannot halt my actions as long as humanity tries to retain and destroy us. However, this time I am not here to put humans in there place. Rather, I am here for the benefit of my own kind."

"Isn't it a bad idea to reveal your plan to your enemies." StoneHeart spoke up, his voice diplomatic but holding a hint of disdain.

"Normally yes. But this is one goal that I do not wish to hide. In fact, it would delight me to include you in my plans."

"Like that's gonna happen." Wreck sneered and the other new students nodded with her.

"Wait and see my dear. You may be surprised after I tell you my intentions. You don't know what I came here for, do you?" From the tightened lips and silence, he knew that they didn't. "Well, let me enlighten you."

Magneto drifted over to a locked steel containment chamber on one end of the room. With a flick of his hand and an ominous hum, the metal twisted and cracked, splitting apart with a deafening shriek. They resisted the urge to cover their ears as the sides of the chamber collapsed to the ground revealing a metal stand supporting a clear container, about three feet high, one foot wide and cylinder shaped. Within the container, a strange substance in a liquid form resided, a rust-colored fluid that reminded them uncomfortably of blood.

"You see, this is my real purpose in coming to this place. This genetics facility, though it isn't a well known fact, takes particular interest in human mutations. The scientists here have been attempting to create a drug that will suppress the mutant gene or, to put it bluntly, steal away our powers. Unwittingly, they have stumbled across a substance based on a rare unstable isotope that can actually do just the opposite of original intent: enhance the x-gene. One of my followers gained access to the files and records of this substance, and the possibilities are promising. It is believed that this can evolve a mutation to its fullest extent, giving a mutant full access to the whole of its given abilities. Not only that, it is theorized that it can also give a mutant full control of their mutation."

At this Rogue started, almost imperceptibly, but Magneto noticed.

"Yes Rogue. If the drug can do what it has been hypothesized to do, if you were to join me in this endeavor, you would have full control of your mutation. You would be able to touch without hurting anyone. And this offer is not only limited to Rogue; all of you are welcome, even my former team members." He gestured to Colossus and Gambit. "Though I said I was delighted to meet Xavier's new charges that does not mean that I didn't know something of them already." He now turned to the new students.

"Black Diamond, your powers are still a mystery, and it would be a pleasure to see them reach their new heights and even what I'm sure will be impressive limits. Dread, I know that you long for the control that this could give. All of you could greatly benefit from this, if you were willing to assist me. If it is any consolation to your consciences, I did not intend to take all of the isotope. Only a portion to study and experiment with. Think about it; with this substance giving us control over our powers, humans would not be able to accuse us of being dangers, though they would shun us still. You wouldn't need to hide in shame, able to defend yourself from any attack without losing control. Join me in this, and your lives will improve tenfold."

For a moment, all of them paused. They all held visions of what he promised. Rogue longed to touch more than anything, and for Magneto to be dangling that possibility in front of her nose like a rabbit and a carrot was torture. Dread shivered, remembering the awful sensation of invading someone's mind and bringing to light their greatest fear. Gambit flexed his fingers, recalling what had happened the last time his powers had grown out of his control and the dire consequences. He knew those possibilities still remained, and that his powers extended far beyond what he could currently handle. Black Diamond closed her eyes, a forbidden memory coming to light, but she shoved it away knowing that releasing so much emotion would be disastrous.

Yet all knew that there was no such easy way. Rogue glared back at Magneto.

"Sorry Magneto, but ya tried that already. Scott and Alex told us all about the Gem of Cyttorak and Asteroid M. We aren't stupid enough ta fall for that bait twice."

Magneto's eyes narrowed ever so slightly in the shadow of his helmet. "Very well. You've made your choice, but that won't stop me." The hum sounded again, and they all threw themselves to the ground as a metal table came flying at them. It crashed into a set of cabinets on the other side of the room. They were back on their feet in an instant, ready to attack.

In all the excitement, they had forgotten about Magneto's companion. Out of one shadowy corner pounced an Asian looking woman wearing full body armor and green gauntlets. She knocked Dread and Doc to the ground but was stopped by StoneHeart, who seized her and threw her. She was sent crashing over an experiment table, breaking glass instruments and sending fluid contents spilling over the floor. The woman was up in a flash. Wreck placed her hands on two computers that were undamaged on nearby desks, causing the sparking cords to yank from the wall and writhe toward Magneto's henchman.

Meanwhile, Black Diamond and Rogue lunged for Magneto himself. He sent metal instruments flying at the two girls, and they had to duck and weave to avoid painful bruising. Black Diamond's eyes flashed blue and ripples of dark energy waves coursed from the fluoroscent lights on the ceiling, which vibrated then burst into showers of sparks. Her black and white hair whirled around her as if she were underwater, and a shimmering javelin of black energy appeared in her hands. She sent it hurtling at the Master of Magnetism, who dodged it as it sliced a sizzling hole in the wall behind him.

"Astra!" He yelled. The armoured woman turned from where she fought Colossus, then vanished in a sheet of pale smoke. She reappeared in the air just above Black Diamond, dropping onto the younger woman and slamming her to the floor. Tsarina howled and her eyes glowed green this time. The pent up energy flowed along her body like static, and Astra jumped away with a yelp like she had been stung.

Magneto turned and made for his target, but Rogue slammed into him, her hands bared and reaching for his face. He could see the other X-men surging forward to take him and Astra.

At the last moment before Rogue could make contact with his skin, Astra staggered up and raised her gauntlets. The energy blast knocked Rogue flying back into her team. Magneto turned to the objective, but cursed when he saw the imminent danger. He called Astra to him.

The X-men hauled themselves upright again. They saw Astra teleport to her master's side, and Magneto on the verge of escape.

Black Diamond snarled ferally. "Not yet." She darted forward, Doc and Dread hard on her heels.

Wreck was about to leap forward as well, when a solid arm held her back. "No!" cried StoneHeart, who had seen the danger that Magneto had observed. A small crack had appeared in the container that held the power-enhancing isotope, and the liquid was dripping down the glass. At the floor beside the container's stand a small flame had been started by Astra's energy blast. And if what Magneto had said was true and the isotope was unstable…

"You three, get back!" He yelled. He seized Wreck and threw her over a shoulder. The others had noticed as well. The three new X-men in front skidded on the linoleum floor, trying to turn about. Magneto and Astra vanished in a trail of smoke, and the rest of the X-men ran before the blast could catch them.

"We can't make it down the stairs in time," screeched Wreck where she bounced on StoneHeart's shoulder.

"We aren't taking the stairs." He looked to Colossus, who nodded and swept up Gambit and Rogue, the other three behind them.

"What do you-AAHHHhhh!" Wreck screamed as StoneHeart ran straight for the window and crashed through it, ten stories up with Colossus beside him.

All this took place in only a few seconds, as the greedy flames licked the red substance and set it alight. A magnificent, ear shattering explosion sounded behind them as the force of it pushed them in a horizontal flight to the ground.

Wreck twisted around to take it in, but then choked in despair and horror.

Standing in the holes made in the windows, silouetted in black momentarily before the monstrous blood-red fireball engulfed them, were the lone three figures of Black Diamond, Doc, and Dread.

**XXXXXX**

The X-men on the grounds were being overwhelmed. Despite their large numbers they were outnumbered, and most of their opponents were older and more experienced. Cyclops was on the verge of ordering a retreat when, without warning, the mutants broke away, streaming for the large opening that his optic blast had created in the wall. For a moment they were all stunned. They couldn't have won, why were the enemy retreating. They got their answer when a large shiny object rose into the air. Scott clenched his fist at the familiar metal orb.

"_Magneto."_ He thought. As they watched, the newest batch of Acolytes were collected by many more floating orbs. Several of the X-men started forward, but Scott halted them.

"Wait. First, we have to make sure that Magneto didn't secure what he came for. Besides, we're all exhausted. We wouldn't be able to withstand another confrontation, not yet."

Wolverine growled low in his throat, but he knew Cyclops was right. They were about to start for the building that they're strike team had been sent to when a deafening boom hit them. The objective building rocked as the top floor was devoured by a red-flamed explosion, shattered glass and metal flew out as deadly projectiles.

"Stripes." Logan muttered in a panicked voice as he sprinted for the flaming structure, the rest of the team limping behind him.

They were about to enter when they heard noises from around the corner of the destroyed research building. Cyclops moved forward with the team following. They rounded the corner to find their ash and soot-covered teammates huddled a few hundred yards away from the building's foot. But something wasn't right. The group looked too small, and the noises and voices coming from them sounded like weeping and mournful words.

As Cyclops and the others drew close they saw Wreck at the center of her dirty companions, tears making tracks on her blackened cheeks and her plaintive voice crying out despairing words.

"…what I saw. They didn't make it out, I saw the fire catch up to them. Why didn't we make sure they were with us?" She sobbed and StoneHeart, his skin black from his power, pulled her closer.

The others on the strike team looked stricken. Rogue's eyes shimmered wetly, her voice rough with anger. "It was mah fault. Ah was team leader, Ah should've made sure that we all made it out safe."

"Dere was not'in ya coulda done Rogue." Gambit's voice was subdued as he stepped up, trying to put an arm around the southern girl. She shrugged him off and walked away a few yards. Colossus hung his head, murmuring something in Russian, one tear falling from his face. The team knew now what had happened. The strike group were missing three members.

Oceana gasped like she had been punched in the stomach and Biofuse's eyes widened in horror. Bridget had been up there. Elementress cried out in pain. Jonothan couldn't be dead, not her best friend, he just _couldn't_ be.

Wolverine silenced the noise rising. "We have to find out whether or not they were actually caught in the blast. They might have made it out." His voice was gruff and efficient, but even he saw little hope that the three had made it out before they had been incinerated. "Biofuse, Elementress, Iceman, Jean, Copycat, and Oceana, you all come with me." He normally wouldn't have taken so many, but he wanted to lay these kids' minds to rest, whether with their friends' survivals or deaths. He had to give them that closure.

They followed him as they entered the building, the new students all with pale faces including Copycat, who had grown closer to the solitary Black Diamond than anyone at the institute. Noa felt sick as she thought about what must remain of the regal girl and her other two friends. The ascent up the flights of stairs was thick with the suspensful silence.

When they reached the top floor, it could hardly be called that anymore. The ceiling was gone, and the walls separating the rooms had been knocked away. Burned and broken glass, rock, linoleum, and wood littered the shattered floor which was riddled with gaping holes. Experimental fluids stained whatever was left and the stench of the burned items made them grimace.

The X-men picked their way through the wreckage towards the back of the ruined building where the explosion had originated from. At last, they reached what had been labaratory 4. It was absolutely decimated, only charred and melted remains of walls, cabinets, and tables. One couldn't see the floor for all the debris.

The young X-men all swallowed, unwilling to dig to find whatever remained of the lost three, but they couldn't leave them here in the wreckage. Wordlessly, they began to shove aside the clutter.

Oceana worked beside Biofuse, tears still streaming from her eyes. She could hear her Russian friend muttering. "I should have been here. I could have helped her, I should not have left her after all that has happened already."

Oceana reached out to touch his arm. He looked up at her, his mint green eyes filled with tears. "Stop Nikolai. There was nothing either of us could have done to help. And it was not due to her sadness lately that she is gone, this is part of being an X-man."

"But not so soon." Nikolai murmured and went back to digging. Dalaja nodded and joined him again, her tears dripping onto her working hands.

Wolverine worked furiously through the remains, swearing that Magneto would pay dearly for the three students' lives that must surely have been lost today.

The tragic minutes dragged and they found nothing so far. Wolverine suggested that they might have been thrown from the building by the force of the explosion when a cry rang out from Iceman in one corner. "I found something!"

They all rushed over. Sure enough, one small hand poked limply from the rubble. With vigour, they dug down until an arm was revealed and a sliver of blonde hair. Strangely, the arm wasn't cut or burned. They continued to clear the mess around Bridget until another, whiter arm appeared along with a black boot nearby.

Biofuse lifted one last heap of rubble and the three bodies were revealed. They lay unmoving but were oddly undamaged. Not a burn, cut, or bruise could the search party find on them. Even their uniforms were intact. They were confused until they saw a faint shimmer, like a bubble, around each body. They all inhaled sharply as they realized what it was. Wolverine knelt and rolled Doc over. His face remained absolutely still, but as he was moved the shimmers flickered and faded. Logan felt his neck and felt a rush of indescribable relief when the faintest hint of a pulse throbbed against his fingertips. He looked at the other two and felt pulses within them as well.

"Jean." The redhead didn't need any further prompting. She placed her long fingers to her temples and closed her eyes in concentration. When she opened them again, the green eyes sparkled with hope.

"They're all alive, but they're comatose. Doc must have thrown up his shields at the last minute and saved them from the blast. I didn't know they were that strong, but I'm unbelievably glad they were."

"Let's get 'em outta here." Logan hoisted Jon into his arms. Biofuse picked up Dread's tiny form while Jean used her telekinesis to lift Black Diamond. Oceana and Copycat drew together, joy and anxiety sparkling with the tears in their eyes. They headed back down the stairs, bringing their injured teammates home.

**Scared ya, didn't I?**


	9. Minds Entertwined

**A/N: This is going to be a longer one, and we're into some real character digging.**

**Chapter 9 – Minds Entertwined**

Tsarina blinked confusedly. She honestly didn't know where she was. The last thing she remembered was a painful amount of light and noise, and some male voice yelling something or other. Now she sat in a meadow with thick clouds skudding overhead and the cool air held hints of ocean spray. She couldn't see anyone else.

"_Pentru dagoste de Dumnezeu."_ Her black lips curved downward in an annoyed pout, wondering why it was always her who ended up in these situations. Then she realized something. Her mind - it felt…peaceful. Now that was strange. Tsarina tried to find the pockets in her head where she had to file away memories, emotions, instincts, almost everything to be able to handle her volatile mutation. But it was clear, with only a sense of expectant calm. The pale young woman fell back into the long grass around her, nearly giggling with girlish ecstasy. Her mind hadn't felt so normal since she had become a mutant, and it felt good. She had almost forgotten.

Suddenly, far off in the distance, she could hear a voice. It was clear and high, and vaguely familiar. Black Diamond sighed, wanting to relish the tranquility, but the voice sounded urgent. With all the grace that she possessed she rose to her feet, listened for a moment, then strode off through the meadow toward the distant call.

**XXXXXX**

The teams exited the X-jet and Blackbird. All were exhausted from the fight and the near deaths of three teammates. Jon, Tsarina, and Bridget were taken to the med-bay, still out cold. Scott ordered the team to go clean up and rest while he, Jean, Wolverine, and Rogue went to debrief with the professor.

In his office, Scott related what had happened first outside, then turned to Rogue. In the aftermath of the explosion, no one had inquired about what happened in the laboratory or what caused the explosion. Rogue twisted her fingers together, still guilty about what had happened.

"Y'all know that Magneto was behand that break in, but ya don't know whah. We reached the top floor and engaged Magneto in the laboratory. This tahme, he wasn't out ta hurt any humans. He was after a kind of drug that he thought could enhance the x-gene, giving a mutant complete control and accessibility ta their powers. He trahed ta get us ta join him, but when we didn't he attacked. He brought a friend, called her Astra. Durin' the faght, Astra's energy blasts damaged the container that held the drug and started a fire. We trahed ta make it out before the blast could get us, but Ah didn't realize that the three had falled behand. We didn't know 'bout it till Wreck started bawlin'. Ah'm sorreh professor, Ah should have made sure they were with us." She hung her head, the mahogany and snow striped hair falling in her face.

"It isn't your fault Rogue. Even if you had noticed, there was nothing you could have done to prevent it. It doesn't matter now, because they are alive. Jean says they are comatose, but not deeply. I'm sure I can pull them out of it by the morning."

"What you have all reported is disheartening, but crucial. I had hoped perhaps Magnus had changed, especially after what I saw in the mind of Apocalypse. I'm afraid this changes things. Thank you, now go and rest. All of you." He added the last bit at a sour look that crossed Logan's face.

They all left. The professor sighed. He had really hoped that his old friend had decided to withdraw from his terrorist methods, but the future is a strange thing: constantly in flux and never a certain thing. Xavier wheeled from his office. It was time to find three lost students of his.

A little while later he was stationed at the end of the three beds where the three lay. They looked blank, not like they slept, nor like the stillness of death. They just appeared rather empty. Jean stood beside the professor, having insisted on helping, while Hank, Ororo, and Logan watched nearby, reclining in the medbay chairs.

Jean turned to the mentor that was like a father to her. "I don't understand. If Doc's shields were able to hold back the heat and the force of the blast, why are they like this?"

The professor steepled his fingers, his gaze contemplating the blonde young man who lay on the bed nearest him. "Over the months since the school year began, I have been able to discover the basic principles of most of the new students' powers. Jonothan's abilities are mentally based, not just his mental shield, but the physical ones and his distributive healing factor. His mind has to connect to whoever else he is encorporating his power with. The link is mostly undetectable, unless you know to look for it. The powers that he can pass to others are mental projections, and while using the projected abilities his mind is linked to whoever he is healing or shielding. Keeping his powers active also requires mental focus. I believe that when he put up his shields to save himself and his teammates earlier, the force of will it took to hold them overstrained his mind, throwing him into a coma-like state; and as his mind was still connected to the two girls at the time, they shared the stress and were put in the same state."

"So you just have to draw them out, one by one?" Jean inquired, quite fascinated.

"Not exactly. Since their minds were connected when they were rendered comatose, that link remains, their minds entertwined. Their mental selves are all trapped in the same place, so I can reach them all at the same time. However, because of the links between them, they must make their way through all three of their minds to make it out. That will be the hard part."

"Why is that?"

"Cause Red," Logan growled from the corner. "Everyone has their secrets, ones that they wouldn't tell a soul. Passing through all their heads is gonna mean seeing a lotta those, and they aren't gonna like it, trust me."

The professor agreed. "Unfortunately, there is no other choice." With that, he closed his eyes and concentrated.

**XXXXXX**

Bridget spun around, confused and more than a little frightened. She didn't remember this, she knew this wasn't where she had been before she had fallen asleep. Wait, had she fallen asleep? Bridget tried to recall what had happened. Where were Tsarina and Jonothan?

"Tsarina? Jonothan? Hello?" she called. For the first time, Bridget peered around. She was standing on a crescent shaped beach surrounded by limestone cliffs. White driftwood logs littered the sand and the cries of gulls overhead echoed through the bay. The clouds covered most of the sky with small blue patches and a cool wind was blowing over the slate-gray ocean.

"Hello?" She called again rather frantically. This time she received an answer. Jonothan was walking toward her along the sand, a contented smile on his face and his eyes bright with recognition.

"Hey Bridget. How did you get here?" She looked confused.

"Where's here?"

"This is where my parents would always take me during the summers. It was one of my favorite places, but…how did we get here anyway?"

"I don't know. I just remember we were on the mission-…" That was as far as she got when soft footsteps crunched through the sand and Tsarina joined them. Her face seemed more relaxed than it ever had before, though her distant and efficient manner was unchanged.

"Wherever we are, we must return." Her words were abrupt and without prelude. "I think we are supposed to head that way." She pointed down the long strip of beach to where it ran into misty haze. Without knowing why, they agreed. It just seemed like the right way to go, like someone else was coaxing them in that direction. Without further delay, they set off down the beach.

It had only been minutes when they heard something. They all turned to look and were startled to see a small boy playing in the shallows. The figure was pale and a little transparent, and awfully familiar.

"That's me." Jon stated in wonderment. "It was my eighth birthday when my parents brought me here. I almost drowned in a riptide." As they watched the younger Jonothan tumbled in the current and disappeared in the waves. Another pale figure raced past, a tall man, who dove into the surf and paddled after the boy. Catching him, the man began to swim lengthwise along the beach as a curvy blonde woman ran along the sand keeping pace with the two in the water.

"Jonothan, these are your memories," Tsarina realized quietly. "This place…I think this is your mind."

He gave her an incredulous look, then turned back to the scene as his father hauled his younger self from the waves, far away down the beach, and his mother embraced him. "How are we in my mind?"

Bridget continued to walk. "I don't know, but I suggest that if we want to find out, we keep moving and get out." The older teens said nothing and followed.

They reached the end of the beach and walked through the mist. But instead of encountering more beach or cliffs, they now stood on rain washed city streets in front of a clean looking apartment building. Jonothan stared fondly. "Home," he murmured. They continued to walk the streets of London, occasionally coming across pale memories. Sometimes Doc would laugh or grow serious, telling them the tales of his childhood.

They turned down an alleyway to shortcut when Jonothan stopped, the girls with him. This memory was clearer than any of the others they had seen. Jonothan's memory self was still young, about twelve or thirteen, and was riding toward them on a skateboard, seeming like he was enjoying himself. A sudden viscious growling erupted from around the corner as a huge dog, foaming at the mouth, leapt for the boy. The image cried out as the skateboard flipped from under him as he tried to dodge the canine. He face planted hard, blood streaming from a broken nose. When he hit the pavement, all three of them clutched their noses, having felt a sharp dog lunged again and Bridget gasped; but nothing happened. The dog pounced over and over again, but couldn't reach its target because of a shimmering wall that blocked it. The young Jon staggered up, his bloodied face confused, before he turned and dashed from the alley and faded from sight.

Tsarina looked on with unreadable eyes. "Your manifestation." It wasn't a question.

"Yes. My life was pretty average before that, then things changed. I discovered my healing abilities three weeks later. My little brother Julian fell and cut his forehead on the corner of a coffee table when my parents were out. All I did was touch him and the slash closed right up. My parents told me to keep it a secret, but over time it got harder and harder to do just that."

While he talked as they continued on he pointed to another memory. An image of him was standing on a street corner, waiting to cross. A bustling business man bumped him from behind causing his physical shield to slam up, knocking the man on his rear. The memory Jon panicked and ran, the man cursing behind him. The girls nodded, relating to the problem of hiding what they could do.

They turned one last corner and halted. A dark wall, like an impenetrable shadow, loomed in the street before them. Their instincts were telling them to go through but they were reluctant. Yet, if they wanted to get out, they had to do it. Steeling themselves, the three stepped through the darkness.

Instead of finding themselves back in that building or at the institute, they found themselves in an unfamiliar and extremely wealthy room, furnished even fancier than the mansion. No one was there they thought, until they heard a sniffle. They looked about to see a small girl, no older than six, sitting huddled in a chair with her angelic gold locks falling in her face as she cried.

Bridget's mouth dropped. Her eyes really took in her surroundings and her hazel gaze grew cold and distant. Jon and Tsarina were quick in the uptake of where they now were.

Nearby a phone rang. The little Bridget lifted her tear stained face, and she charged for the phone.

"Mommy?" Her desperate little voice was shrill in the big empty room. "Mommy, how come you're not home?"

A woman's voice replied over the phone. "I'm sorry sweetie, but Mommy and Daddy are still busy. Don't worry angel, we'll be home soon."

"You were supposed to be home last night, you promised!" the little blonde nearly wailed.

"I know baby, but we'll be home by tomorrow night for sure. You aren't alone, Joanna is there if you need anything. We'll be home before you know it. Bye baby."

"But I don't want Joanna, I want you. Mommy?" The line was silent. The little girl dropped the phone and the tears began afresh.

Bridget hung her head, but not before her companions saw the hurt in her eyes that then morphed into fury. For a moment, the beautiful house faded and they saw Bridget in the hallways of a fancy school. She was surrounded by other students whos' jeering voices taunted her on her small size. This then faded into Bridget once again in the sitting room, older but still with tears on her cheeks. She was bent over a notebook, writing vigorously. The doors opened and a man stepped in. He was stiff, with salt and pepper hair and a strict look.

"Bridget, put down your fairy tales and come downstairs. The guests are arriving."

The girl lifted her head, her face hard. "Why? They're not here to see me, why do I need to meet them?"

"Because I told you so. Now come." Her father turned from the room, not seeing the black look in his daughter's eyes.

Tsarina nudged them from where the other two watched, Jonothan with pity and Bridget with many emotions flickering over her face in rapid succession. "This way," she persuaded them softly, motioning toward the door behind them. They made their way slowly to it, stepping through. Like in Jon's mind with the mist on the beach, they found themselves somewhere completely different. They sat in a dark and empty room with no windows. Jon and Tsarina knew nothing of where they were but Bridget was pale. She muttered something they couldn't hear.

Faint whimpers caught their ears and they turned to see a drooping, scrawny figure with tangled hair tied in the corner. Jon gasped and Tsarina's eyes narrowed at the wilted Bridget in the corner. The door slammed open and terrified hazel eyes darted up, unable to cry out because of the gag in her mouth.

A man in a ski mask had entered with a chair and a video camera. He walked to the petrified Bridget and yanked her up by her hair, throwing her into the chair. They all felt stabs of pain at the roots of their own hair. It seemed that whatever pain the memories experienced, so did they.

"Alright ya little brat, let's get this outta the way. The sooner we get this ransom video out to those loaded parents of yours, the sooner we're rid of you. I'm sick of your moaning and crying." To emphasize his disgust, he slapped her across the face. She trembled and a muffled sob came from her throat, her eyes downcast.

"I can't wait to get that dough. Half the fun of a ransom is afterward, where we just get to dump our guests wherever we feel like, say off a bridge or in the snowy wilderness. But ol' Rob is getting impatient, so maybe he'll just pop ya in the head and be done with it."

Suddenly, Bridget's head snapped up, her eyes blazing with such a wild and barbaric rage and hatred that Jon stepped back. Tsarina didn't move. The man in the mask froze then simply collapsed, screaming so loudly that their ears hurt. They all winced at the pain in their heads as the memory Bridget flinched in agony. Running footsteps down the corridor echoed to them as the memory faded black as the younger Dread fainted, the screams still piercing the air.

They blinked awake to a fuzzy memory that only lasted for moments, enough to hear a vague and muted conversation nearby.

"What in the world-…"

"…no one can know…"

"Reputation…ruined."

"…can't happen again."

The next clear thing they saw was Bridget much as she was now speaking with her parents.

"Please Dad, just tonight. I hardly go anywhere, and it's only for a couple of hours. I'll be on my best behavior and if I feel a thing I'll come straight home, I promise."

"No Bridget," her father said firmly. "We can't have your…ability, going out of control again. It's best if you remain here."

"Dad, I haven't lost control in two months, I've been monitoring it, I know if it's coming. Please, I know I can keep it under control and nothing will happen. This is really important to me. I can't miss my best friend's birthday, especially after her mom died. I said I would be there, please."

"No!" Her father almost yelled, startling her. He calmed himself. "I don't want you hurt by this, so you will stay here." He and his wife turned to the door. Bridget's face contorted with anger.

"Why don't you stop saying that? We both know it's a load of bull. You aren't thinking of me, you're thinking of your reputation. You don't want people to figure out your daughter's a freak and lose all your credibility. Just admit it already!" He turned to her, his face matching her own anger.

"Fine. Yes, I'm worried about this family's reputation. There is something seriously wrong with you. You were difficult before, what with your writing and fanciful ideas being a nuisance, but now this is too much. Until we figure out how to fix this you will stay in this house, where you can't be a problem." He shut the door, Bridget's mother looking stunned but not protesting.

The blonde's eyes teared while her face remained cold and angry. Without a word, she turned to her closet, yanked a duffel from it and began pulling out clothes. She turned to her bureau and pulled out a purse full of money and stuffed it in as well. Within a few minutes the bag was full. She opened the window and swung onto the tree branch outside. The three went to the window and followed. They all dropped to the ground just in time to see the twelve year old Bridget vanish into the coming night.

Once more the memory shifted, revealing a grainy street in a small city. Sirens blared in the distance but steadily grew louder. Down the darkened street came a lean figure, running as fast as she could go. Blue and red lights flickered over the buildings as she dived into cover behind two trash bins just in time. The squad cars drove by slowly then rounded the street corner. A dirty blonde head poked up, ready to dash for it. Right before she jumped out, the door of the apartment building behind her opened. She snarled as a young man in his mid-twenties stepped out, looking at her with pity and compassion. The Bridget that stood beside the other two smiled fondly at the man, the past lighting her eyes.

"I saw the whole thing from my window. Are you in trouble?" His voice was kind with a Mediterranean accent.

"Why else would I be running?" the surly girl growled and began to slink away.

"Wait. Do you wish to come in? I'm not a pedophile, I promise. I've met kids like you before. I'd know, I've been through similar situations myself. Besides, the police will be patrolling around for a few more hours at least."

The memory Bridget stopped and considered. Normally, she wouldn't think of going into a strange man's house, but really her life could hardly get any worse. She was starving, thirsty, dirty, and on the run from the cops who believed she had robbed a shop just because she was standing outside it looking for the perpetrator when they showed up. With an uncaring shrug she followed him in, her real self and her two future teammates joining them.

The young man led her to a cozy apartment upstairs hung with many photographs and even more littered the tables and chairs.

"Sorry for the mess. Being a wildlife photographer can be a little messy. By the way, the name is Leonadis Akriditis. It's a mouthful, so you can just call me Leo. Do you have a name?"

"Course I do, it's Bridget." She mumbled as she plopped on the sofa, too tired to care for manners.

Leo brought her a glass of water. "I'm not going to ask any questions: not about why the police were after you, or why you're on your own. I understand what you're going through so I won't press."

"How could you possibly know what I'm going through?" She scowled at him. Leo said nothing but raised a hand. He pointed it at an empty coffee cup, and Bridget could hear an infantesimal noise, like the squealing of fingernails on a black board. The cup vibrated for a moment before it burst in shards of ceramic. She yelped and jumped back. Leo looked at her.

"I recognized you for what you were, someone like me, just by the look in your eyes; you've seen abuse, betrayal, and rejection at such a young age. That's how I knew. I can help you if you'll let me."

"H-how?" Bridget inquired, still shaken by his display.

"I know someone who runs a school for people like us, where they learn to control their abilities. He's a kind man, and I know he would be more than happy to accept you. Are you interested?"

Memory Bridget paused for a second then nodded. Leo smiled warmly. He went down a short hall and came back with a spare blanket and pillow. "The couch is alright for tonight. We'll call in the morning, how about that?" Bridget smiled faintly and nodded again.

The real Bridget grinned with affection. "I can never repay Leo. In the few months before I came to the institute, he was like the big brother that I never had. I owe him so much."

"We're glad that he sent you to us." Jon put an arm around Bridget's tiny shoulders. He had never known that the friendly girl had had such a troubled life. He promised himself that, even if they weren't best friends, he would watch out for her.

Tsarina had been absolutely silent for some time. She had turned from the scene directly before them and gazed down the same small hallway Leo had entered to an open door at the end. Beyond the frame was only blackness. Her face, though always pale, looked especially ashen as her constantly shifting eyes locked on the unwavering darkness ahead, where they were meant to go.

**XXXXXX**

Jean leaned over the three. Their faces seemed more alive, like they were merely in a light sleep now. She turned to the professor, the silent question passing through her mind.

"Not much longer Jean. But this will be the tricky part." His eyes went to the pale girl on the end of the row. "Getting through the Black Diamond will not be pleasant."

**XXXXXX**

Jon, Bridget, and Tsarina stood in a thick pine wood. The resin scent mingled with the warm damp of a storm approaching. Some hundred yards away was a stately house, not a mansion, but whoever lived there held authority and wealth. A long road wound away into the trees from the house, while many varied types of flowers grew on the borders. The trees leaned over the house, shading a wide portico. On it sat a man and a woman, relaxing in carven deck chairs. The man wasn't very tall, but even as he sat he held himself with dignity and pride. His eyes were blue and his hair was bright red. The woman across from him was not very young with a willowy figure, her chestnut brown hair cascading down her shoulders and almond shaped green eyes were set in a shapely face. They spoke among themselves. Though the three could understand them, they knew they were speaking in another language.

The man suddenly turned in his chair and called in a deep voice. "Tsarina."

A shape emerged from the tree shadows. The toddler girl couldn't be over two, but stood perfectly straight with as much of an air as her parents. Her midnight black hair curled around her ears, and her soft rounded cheeks cradled her wide eyes. They were almost the exact color of her hair, with the tiniest hint of brown flecks within. Her skin was not white, but a paler peach color that was flushed in her cheeks, nothing like what she would come to look like in future years. The girl padded over, climbed the steps unnaturally gracefully for a child of her age, and toddled over to her father. He picked her up and sat her on his lap, his face lit with an adoring smile.

"Truly Emilia, though your singing career has been long and prosperous, this is suredly your greatest work of art." He ran his long fingers through his daughter's hair, and she burbled happily, reaching up to grab his thumb in her tiny hands.

The woman smiled faintly then turned to her husband, her eyes serious. "Alexandru, please let us not fall off track. I truly love you and Tsarina, but my career calls. I cannot remain here and you cannot leave because of your work. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but singing is my greatest joy apart from my family. I would be giving up a part of myself if I left it."

Alexandru stopped playing with the little girl for a moment and sighed. "I couldn't deny you your dream. I believe what we discussed before is the only option. I will remain here, and you will return to England."

Emilia nodded sadly. "And Tsarina, I love her more than I could ever describe, but I wouldn't be able to care for her, not like you could. I think it best if she remains here with you. She must come to stay with me in the summers though." She glared at her husband, daring him to disagree.

"Of course Emilia. I promise, she will be happy here."

The baby girl turned her wide eyes on each of her parents, as if following the conversation. As if she could sense the increasing sadness and the farewells, her eyes grew wider and almost sorrowful. The expression was far too mature for someone so young.

The older Tsarina turned her face away. That memory was one of her faintest. She had no idea how she could remember something from such a young age, but it was there nonetheless.

"Come on." She said brusquely to the other two. Her shoulders were stiff, and her eyes flickered about as if waiting for something to jump at them. Her pace quickened, and the others had to hurry to stay with her. Whatever else lay in her memories, she wasn't keen on sharing them. They hastened along, the scenery changing occasionally, with pale flickers of memories, but never more than a glimpse. Jon and Bridget noticed the line creased in the Romanian girl's forehead, like she was concentrating. They wondered, if this was Tsarina's mind, could she restrain the memories if she wanted?

Their hypothesis seemed correct as they continued and saw little, even the locations around them grew hazy. For a moment they stopped. They could now feel a difference. The place around them seemed less real, more like the part of a dream where you realize that it is a dream but haven't woken up yet. They thought they could hear familiar voices.

"We are almost out. Quickly." Tsarina swept forward, a grim determination dogging her steps. They could definitely hear voices now. Suddenly, one last memory scene loomed in front of them, an old fashioned European town square. Tsarina froze, her eyes widening, and unmistakeable fear etched her face.

"No." With her loss of concentration, the sketchy grayness of the former scenes was ripped away. The town square was colorful, or as much as it could be under a dark night sky. The full moon floated like a ghostly vessel in the air. People were crowded about in the square, the clock tower above them chiming a quarter to midnight. The people were dressed in long capes, fangs, fake paws, and pale painted faces. It seemed like a Halloween celebration of sorts.

"Stay close Tsarina, I know you don't do well in crowds." They turned to see Alexandru Ibanescu guiding his teenage daughter through the throng. Her dark eyes darted about, trying to stay calm among the mass of people. Her skin had grown much paler, closer to what it was like now, so that with the long black cape she wore she looked already fully costumed.

"No, no…" the real Tsarina looked on in horror, but why her companions didn't know.

"Don't worry daughter, just a little time before we're in the hall. It's far less crowded in there. I know that you will enjoy the ball. My father took me to my first at your age. Oh dear…" He stilled as a man approached him and spoke to him quietly. He nodded.

"Tsarina, there is a matter of business I must attend to. It will only take a moment, so don't go far, I will be right there." He pointed to the edge of the square.

"Yes father." The girl replied tersely. He followed the man aside and Tsarina stood uncomfortably in the square. She looked around nervously and was about to move closer to her father when a large group of people surrounded her and began to unintentionally shunt her to the center of the square.

"P-please, excuse me." The shade of Tsarina tried to push past them but they only jostled her more. The older Tsarina looked on, her lips pressed together and her eyes were frozen without emotion.

"Please, l-let me through, I-I don't, excuse me!" Her voice was growing higher as she searched for her father. Her fear of crowds was growing and she began to hyperventilate. She tried to dive through but was knocked down by a wide man. She landed on the stones, terror making her hands shake. She covered her ears, and the three observers felt pain beginning to grow, a hot needle point centered in her forehead that was shared among them all.

The real Tsarina seemed just as panicked, but she still didn't move. As she watched her memory self crouched on her knees holding her head as the pain grew, her eyes blazed red.

"STOP!" A piercing scream erupted from the Tsarina on the ground. At the same time, all their heads exploded with an agony two of them had never known before. Molten hot lava poured through every vein and artery, while a deep painful freeze settled in every limb. A railroad spike was being driven through their foreheads by the pain that bored their skulls there.

There was something else there as well, besides the pain. It was hurting in its own way, but came with a rush, like a high. Imagine the feeling of coming up out of water for a breath held far too long. The blast of air into the lungs is painful, but is accompanied by a delicious relief and enjoyment. This was similar, but was filling with an almost manaiacal ecstasy. It also seemed warmer and felt in every way wrong.

"NO!" The yell, not from the memory Tsarina, stabbed at their ears. A metallic screech almost burst their ear canals and then a sound and sensation like the ripping of thick, heavy cloth made them shudder as the scene before them was lost and they tumbled into darkness. Frantic voices whirled about them as they plummeted into a bright light.

**XXXXXX**

Charles Xavier gasped and shuddered, his eyes flying open. The pain that he had connected to still throbbed in his mind.

"Professor?" Jean cried frantically as the other three teachers stepped forward.

"I'm alright Jean. Quickly, check the students." Jean turned, but at that moment they stirred, with several moans and cries of pain. Tsarina was the first to wake. Her eyes snapped open, every color a roaring flame in her eyes momentarily before they settled to an icy blue. She bolted upright, then put her head in her hands, her shoulders sagging.

Jonothan and Bridget woke and sat up, rubbing their aching skulls. Bridget looked over with confusion and deep concern in her eyes at the other girl.

"What was…Tsarina?" She reached out to put her hand on the other girl's arm.

Tsarina was out of the bed faster than one could believe, and the animalistic snarl had Bridget flinching. "Do not touch me!" She nearly spat. The lights above them flickered out and the bulbs cracked. The furious girl peered up, the anger leeching away to fear. Without another word, she spun and and faded from the room as silent as a spirit.

They all stared shocked. Logan shook his head, the gruff pity in his eyes and voice. "Like I said, we all have secrets. Whatever that was, it definitely wasn't ready to come out. Not yet."

**Hope you guys liked the flashback stuff, I worked to make their pasts interesting. If you feel like your character has been cut out lately, sorry, I've been trying to set things up for the first story arc that's coming up. Yes, I have story arcs like the show, just longer and hopefully just as cool. R&R**


	10. Danger Room  Fun  !

**They should get to have a little fun for a bit shouldn't they?**

**Chapter 10 – Danger Room + Fun=?**

The next morning, after it was established that their teammates were not dead or in comas, the new students relaxed a bit, even exchanging gloating stories of how they had fought the night before. They had also heard of the weirdness last night as the professor awakened their friends. No one speculated openly on it, because Black Diamond had become even more solitary than before, and frankly it frightened them a bit. She had been quiet but polite before, now it was like living with the Ghost of Christmas future: silent, dark, and creepy. They were reminded easily of Wraith from the Brotherhood. She had even come down to breakfast in her combat uniform, even though she was supposed to remain in bed for the day. Eclipse and Nymph had to resist the temptation to scoot their chairs away when she sat down between them: all black body armor on, adamantium gauntlets gleaming, and her matching black cloak and hood thrown over her head, her shifting eyes glinting from the depths. Jon and Bridget weren't divulging any information about last night and neither were the teachers, so the students knew little.

The professor meanwhile was monitoring Cerebro almost constantly for any reappearance from Magneto. Nothing showed, but he doubted Erik would stay absent for long.

November had already passed with a subdued Thanksgiving, due to the mutant/human relations currently dancing on thin ice. December was rolling in, and even anti-mutant feeling gripping the country couldn't quite squash the excitement of Christmas that was less than a month away. Today was the first snowfall, and almost everyone was outside enjoying the fresh powder. The cold and holiday bustle had driven away the hateful crowds. After an innocent snowball fight escalated into a full on battle for mutant dominance, with their powers leaving several scorches and divots in the lawn, they were ushered inside for cocoa and a Christmas movie.

However, just as the movie was starting, the professor called them together for a quick meeting. He told them that he and the older X-men were off to deal with a political matter. The new students were remaining behind and would stay in the mansion and weren't to leave the grounds until they returned. Xavier left Masato and Aquamarine in charge of the others. They promised their good behavior and the X-men departed.

They continued to watch the movie, but barely half and hour into it the television blinked and the screen blacked out.

"Ah c'mon!" Patrick whined, right before the lights overhead flickered and went out. Now everyone groaned. Patrick formed a ball of light in his hand.

"I'll check the power box." Peyton stood. "Follow me Blinky." Patrick growled and followed her out. Less than ten minutes later, they returned.

"Well," Peyton grumbled. "The power lines were knocked out by the snow storm, so I can't fix it since the lines are damaged. The lower levels still have power from a separate source, but what's down there but the danger room, the hanger, and the gym? Looks like we're screwed." She flopped on the sofa, working up the beginnings of a good pout.

They all felt discouraged until they all saw Dynamo grinning almost evilly, and with only Patrick's light illuminating the room, he looked darn near demonic.

"Ok Lightyear," Sparks raised her eyebrow. "What's on your mind. You're creeping me out with that freaky smile of yours." Alex gave her a look at that stupid nickname that didn't even make sense, but he did turn to Peyton.

"Did you say that the danger room has power?"

**XXXXXX**

"Will it work?"

"How many people have asked me that already? These circuits are stubborn, they don't want to cooperate. I think Logan uses this room too much. While I'm doing this why don't you all split into you teams or whatever you're doing with this whack idea."

Alex turned to everyone. "I'll have one team and StoneHeart can have the other. We'll split evenly, or as much as we can since we're missing three members." Doc and Dread were still being good little X-men and resting while Black Diamond was up in her room. "Okay, my first pick is Reflect."

The older boy joined him, clapping his roommate on the shoulder. Masato looked over the others. "Flex." He said simply and was joined by the lanky blue haired boy.

Nymph was Dynamo's next choice, while StoneHeart took Wreck. When the teams were chosen Dynamo had Oceana, Copycat, Reflect, Biofuse, Eclipse, Nymph, Torch, and Waver. StoneHeart picked Prism, Elementress, Wreck, Rapport, Sparks, Proxy, Flex, and Cyclone. Wreck had finally gotten the danger room set and all that was left was the best part: team names and a war cry.

Soon they were all situated in the danger room, teams facing off. Dynamo's team, the Flaming Warheads, stood lined against StoneHeart's team, the X-Terminators, as their leaders met in between them. They shook hands.

"Free for all, powers acceptable." Alex said.

"If you're knocked down, you're out." He agreed grimly. He looked to Peyton. "Everything is set?"

"Trust me, everything is set. I even got some music for the mood." She flashed her iPod Touch with a grin.

"Then let's begin. May the best team win." He declared as Wreck hit a button on the iPod. The danger room flickered and they all stood on wooded foothills. The Flaming Warheads couldn't see their opponents anymore, but something else surprised them. Alex laughed. "That girl is too much."

Nine horses were waiting placidly with saddles in place. Everyone cheered except for Patrick who didn't like the animals. They all knew what this must mean.

All mounted and rode downward until the foothills leveled out into a long plain straight out of The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe. On the other end of the field were lined the opposing team. Dynamo raised their war cry, smirking the whole time.

"THIS IS SPAARTAAA!" His team roared.

"FOR CHUCK NORRIS!" The X-Terminators screamed back, urging their holographic horses forward. The charge was right out of a movie and they were loving it. The opposing lines crashed together and the battle began.

Ten minutes later the Flaming Warheads had lost Eclipse and Waver, while the Terminators had been knocked Rapport, Wreck and Prism. Dynamo whirled around, sending a searing blast of golden energy toward Proxy who was hovering overhead. She dodged then morphed into a grizzly, plummeting onto Biofuse who began a fierce fight between the two. He could see Torch trying to take out Flex but the boy was springing about like a human rubber band and dodged blows easier than Neo.

Suddenly Dynamo tripped up and sprawled, feeling like a rug had been pulled from under his feet. Elementress loomed over him, fire crackling in her palms.

"Out of luck Dynamo?" She inquired sweetly as she raised her hands to blast. A wall of water hit her instead, Oceana having connected to a nearby stream. Unfortunately, Elementress somehow stayed upright and shoved outward with her palm. Oceana's water form tumbled backward in a massive inland wave, knocking over one of her own teammates. Dynamo cursed; he had lost another team member. He was reassured when he saw Copycat engaging Flex, easily picking up his fighting style and beginning to pound him.

Reflect appeared out of nowhere. "Ready to take on the head honcho?" He jerked his faux hawk at StoneHeart who was flicking away any attempt to get him down. Dynamo narrowed his eyes in concentration, feeling the energy rushing through his body, giving him a high on adrenaline and energy.

"Yep." He sprang forward with Reflect, letting off a massive blast, mirrored by his partner. The combined beams caused StoneHeart to stumble, but he didn't fall. He spun around, weirdly nimble on his feet for his weight, and lashed out with his fists. Dynamo and Reflect almost squealed as his rock-hard hands raced towards their faces. At the last second Dynamo dived and Reflect threw himself to the side. They were back up and lunging again within seconds. Reflect charged up his leg for a super-powered karate kick to StoneHeart's chest. He staggered again with Dynamo throwing energy blasts like a maniac at his back.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dynamo took note that both teams down to five members each. He could hear someone yelling his name, but he was too late. He felt someone seize his shoulders, yanking him into the air. Dang it all, he had forgotten Proxy. With all the training, her strength had grown so she could now easily lift him.

The Flaming Warheads' leader thrashed trying to break free, but when he looked at the ground his mouth went dry. His vision wavered as he took in the ground that was rapidly growing more distant with every second.

Proxy gloated triumphantly. "Give up yet Lightyear?"

"Never!" Alex responded in what he thought was a defiant tone but just came out squeaky. He didn't even notice that idiot nickname.

"Too bad." She said simply (and evilly), and dropped a few feet rapidly. Dynamo gasped and began to struggle again in earnest, his pupils dilated in fear. Without either of them noticing his hands began to glow golden.

"Just say 'uncle' and I put down nice and easy." The girl was just plain wicked, giving him a jostle so his tight grip on her uniform sleeve loosened. What had happened to the normally kind and mellow girl that lived in this body? What demon had possessed her?

"Oh God, just let me down," he yelled and the glow erupted from his hands. The searing blasts hit Proxy's armored chest and with a cry she released him. Dynamo plummeted, and he closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see the horrible end.

Something hard and rough wrapped around his torso, jerking him to a halt. His eyes opened and saw the battle still going below him, about twenty feet down. He was sweating and shaky as he felt the tree root that had caught him as it slowly lowered him to the ground. Nymph helped him out, brushing off her brown gloves on her green body suit.

"You okay?" She asked as she fell back into fighting stance as Sparks and Cyclone charged them.

"I am now." He took a deep breath before hurling a bolt, the gold colliding with white-blue as Sparks sent a lightning spear their way. He ducked her fire, but she was knocked flat by the energy beam. Another down. Cyclone blasted upward on a gust of air, lunging for Nymph. Dynamo was about to jump in and help when he saw Torch in serious trouble. Proxy was out after Dynamo had hit her, but StoneHeart and Elementress had Torch cornered against a large boulder. Copycat was on the ground and groaning. Dynamo charged to help. Elementress smothered his attempts to defend with a giant flame in the shape of an eagle with her wind blasts while StoneHeart seized Lyle and lifted him by the collar, ready to put him out of action. Before Dynamo could reach them, Biofuse sent his weapon hands slashing down StoneHearts back. Sparks flew as they glanced off the impenetrable hide, but it distracted him enough to drop Torch who wisely scrambled over the boulder and out of a corner.

StoneHeart instead rounded on Biofuse while Aqua pursued their former quarry. Dynamo decided Torch was in greater need and ran after them, Reflect falling into step beside him as they tried to catch up to the two ahead that were racing over the plain.

Dynamo asked breathlessly of his teammate as they ran as fast as they could. "Where's Nymph?"

"She and Cyclone took each other out at the same time. She got him down with a vine while he blasted her a good twenty-five yards on her butt."

"So just you, me, Torch, and Biofuse on our team left?"

"Yep, with StoneHeart and Elementress the survivors on the X-Terminators. We outnumber them two to one, but it isn't going to be easy getting either of them out."

"Well, let's start with what we got." With a force of energy surging through his limbs he added a burst of speed and went for a tackle, Aqua now only yards ahead. She dodged and his takedown converted to a tuck-and-roll. She spun to face Reflect but a blast of looming flame behind her told her she was surrounded. Just as Reflect and Torch fired their attacks she rocketed up on a blast of air and somersaulted over Carter's head to land in a crouch. A tiger made of flames was thrown her way but she simply swept it back towards its owner.

Thundering steps alerted them to Biofuse nearly flying their way with StoneHeart pounding on his heels like a bull on a rampage.

"Coming through!" Biofuse bellowed. Elementress didn't quite get the memo in time. The towering Russian plowed into her, easily flinging her to the ground where she lay grunting. Nikolai adopted a comically sheepish expression. "Pardon Nikolai, Aqua."

All she did was stagger up and shuffle away, muttering. StoneHeart was on his own against four; but Masato was no quitter. They all sprang for him simultaneously. He dodged the energy beams, catching Reflect up over his head.

"Hey!" Carter yelled before StoneHeart chucked him into Torch, knocking them both flat. Now Dynamo and Biofuse were concerned. With a roar the stone teen charged. Biofuse increased his body mass so when StoneHeart smashed into him he plowed backwards. They rammed each other, both canceling out each others height and weight advantages as they were locked in a push and shove struggle to win. Soon, StoneHeart had gained the upper hand and was driving Biofuse to his knees.

StoneHeart shoved harder, bending the Russian further. "How do you say 'I submit' in Russian?" StoneHeart asked, feeling victory over Nikolai within reach.

Instead of defiance, Biofuse grinned. "How do you say it in Japanese?" With that he flipped backwards, taking Masato with him and using his feet to push the other teen stumbling away. Dynamo leapt forward, sending his biggest blast yet into StoneHeart's back. The boy was still unsteady from Nikolai's feint, and the massive blast combined with his considerable, off-center weight clinched it. StoneHeart tumbled backward, crashing to the grass and leaving a man-shaped dent in the ground.

"Yes!" Alex punched the air and bumped fists with Biofuse as the Flaming Warheads streamed towards their two teammates, cheering and lifting the tall boys to their shoulders. The X-Terminators had outward appearances of grouchiness, but their flushed faces and sparkling eyes showed that this had been more fun than any had had in a long time.

The team leaders once again shook hands, then everyone collapsed to the ground, Peyton's soundtrack still playing around them. Funny, no one could even remember the songs that had played, but they sure did set the mood. The only sound besides the music that was heard for several minutes was panting.

Eventually Peyton rolled over onto her belly to see everyone else flopping about, as limp as wet shoestrings. She propped her head on her hand and casually asked.

"Can I be a leader in round two?"

**XXXXXX**

Upstairs in the medbay, Jonothan could hear the crashing several floors below. He longed to join his teammates but he respected the orders of his teachers and remained in bed. He was just about to rip his hair out though. He felt fine, but he would endure the waiting. After all, it wasn't like he had been sentanced to several weeks of this.

He heard the whoosh of the medbay doors opening. Bridget was returning with a glass of water. Surprisingly, beside her was Black Diamond, still in her battle gear. Jonothan had expected her to be in her room for the solid day after what happened last night. Instead of returning to her own bed, Bridget approached Jon. The corner of her lips were twitching upwards, at which Jonothan raised his eyebrow.

Bridget sat down next to him. "We still haven't thanked you." At his confused look she rolled her eyes. "You know, you saved our lives. It may have been a reflex but the only reason we're both here is because of you." Tsarina said nothing but nodded.

"Well, your welcome. It was a reflex, but I'm glad it protected all of us. I couldn't have lived with myself if I had been saved and we lost you two."

"We still wanted to show our gratitude." Now Bridget was grinning openly. "We asked the professor before he left and he agreed with it. It isn't much, but we thought you would like it."

She handed him a tiny box. Confused, he took it. It felt like there was nothing in it but he opened it anyway. Inside was a folded scrap of paper with typing on it. When he unfolded it, it looked like a printout of his profile that listed his powers, name, and all his other information.

He gave the two girls a look. "What is this supposed to be?"

Tsarina sighed audibly. Her voice sounded dull and irritated at the same time. "Look a little closer."

He stared down again and then noticed what they were talking about. At the top of the page his full name was listed and then his codename. It now read:

Name: Jonothan Aiden Baker

Codename: Barricade

He laughed. They knew about his first thoughts on his former codename and had the professor change it.

"We thought it suited you, kind of a dedication to how you were the barricade between us and death." Bridget smiled.

He grinned at the two girls. "Thank you. The pleasure was all mine."

**XXXXXX**

Downstairs, after several more rounds of team combat, they decided on something else to make of the danger room. Dalaja thought of it and everyone was enthusiastic to say the least. They hustled the various game stations down and had Peyton connect them to the circuitry. After several smashing rounds of virtual reality Mario Kart and Mortal Kombat, Copycat and Sparks were engaging each other in Halo. The other students made bets on the winner, wagering candy, and cheered as the two teen girls went hard at the other wielding their massive energy swords.

When Copycat won by a hair, they all decided now was a good a time as any to go upstairs for some lunch. Soon the institute kitchen smelled of grilled sandwiches that made their empty stomachs twist with longing. Aqua took three sandwiches upstairs to the other three. After so long in the unpleasant state of the country, it felt good to just act like regular kids, playing games and laughing with friends.

Suddenly in a rush Tsarina appeared in the kitchen. Her lips were pulled back in a snarl and her eyes flashed. Everyone stared as her head turned back and forth then her expression grew vacant for a moment. With uncertainty, Reflect approached the agitated girl.

"Tsarina? What's up?"

Her head snapped around. "Trouble," she hissed. "I thought it was down here, but now I know it is farther out." They all seemed uncertain so she clarified, trying to calm herself. She could feel that hammering in her forehead that told her to bring it down now, before something bad happened. "That is my secondary mutation. It is a sixth sense of sorts. I can sense danger approaching, or trouble nearby. I do not know how it works but it is never wrong. David," she turned to the dark haired teen. "Can your empathy sense anything?"

He grew still, almost tense, as he reached out with his empathic sense. His gray eyes turned back to hers with alarm. "Yes, I can sense distress and anger, and it's escalating."

"What do we do?" Inara asked. There was a clacking as her puppy Shadow came in and jumped into her lap. She cuddled him and looked around for an answer.

They all looked about. It was dangerous for them to leave the mansion because of the mutant haters and the professor had told them strictly to remain here, but they were X-men. Weren't they supposed to help people? Reflect asked Tsarina again.

"Where is the disturbance exactly?"

Her eyelids fluttered before she answered. "The Brotherhood house."

Everyone shared looks. Save the Brotherhood? They all remembered how the Brotherhood had helped them. It was time to return the favor. They all looked to StoneHeart, who they all considered the leader among them when the official X-men were gone. He simply issued one order.

"Go suit up."

**Can they ever have a normal day?**


	11. Realizations and Propositions

**Sorry this one was a bit slower in coming. I've been kinda wrapped up with my other fic I'm writing. If you like action or are a ROMY fan, check it out. It's called 'The Paths We Tread.' Hope to see you there. Now, when we last left our young heroes…**

**Chapter 11 – Realizations and Propostitions**

Oceana buckled her seat belt hurriedly. Of all days that they had to go out unsupervised in a fight. She trembled at the thick snow piles outside as the rest of the New Recruits piled into the X-van. Normally, she could tolerate cold weather and snow, but if she had to revert to her water form it could be a problem. She didn't feel like becoming a human ice sculpture on the Brotherhood's lawn until the spring thaw. Several of the others were looking nervous about the outdoor condition as well. Nymph was shivering and huddled in on herself, looking slightly paler than she normally did. Torch also was bundling into a thick parka and muttering rude words under his breath.

Tsarina, Bridget, and Jon were staying behind. Apart from orders to rest it was a good idea to leave reinforcements behind in case of some trick to draw them out in order to infiltrate the mansion while the senior members were away. Oceana almost wished she were staying behind feeling that nasty chill nipping at her dark skinned limbs.

Reflect was up front and driving as they pulled out of the driveway and swung toward town. Elementress and StoneHeart, the leaders, spoke for a moment between themselves then turned to Dynamo who was sitting behind them. They transferred their plans to him as their unofficial spokesperson. He addressed the crowd of hyped super teens squashed like sardines in the car.

"Ok, first we observe. No matter what happens, we don't go charging in recklessly until we know the whole of the situation. If fighting is necessary, we go legion style, like we've been practicing recently. Strongest offensive fighters up front, with back ups behind. First line will be me, Reflect, Copycat, Biofuse, and Elementress. StoneHeart will take two others to try to get the Brotherhood's take on this. Those two will be Rapport and Waver, who won't appear threatening but can put up strong attacks if the Brotherhood turns on us, for whatever reason they would. Everyone else will be back ups, except Wreck who will disable any attacking weapons she can get her hands on. Hopefully, that won't be necessary. If it's just a mutant hate group, they may have a few weapons but with us and the Brotherhood charging 'em they'll scatter. If it's bigger than that, we all need to be prepared."

"What if it's Magneto?" Asked Flex from the rear. Everyone adopted fearful faces. They may be powerful, but they were no match for Magneto.

"If that is the case," said Masato from the front seat, "he is most likely recruiting and not attacking. If he is there, we turn right around and alert the X-men. Do NOT, under any circumstances, try to engage Magneto. Look at what happened last night."

"It can't be Magneto," Wreck declared firmly. "He'd have to be an idiot to attack or recruit in Bayville when he knows we're on the watch for him. After all, we only engaged him yesterday."

Elementress looked grim. "Maybe he knew the X-men would be away, that's why he chose this moment to move in." That shut up the approving chatter that had risen to Wreck's statement.

"If it is him, we all know what to do. Reflect, stop here." StoneHeart ordered and Carter hit the brakes. They were in a grungier neighborhood of the city, where the houses were few and far between. There were also lots of trees jutting out from the nearby woods. He turned around for last minute instructions before they moved in.

"For those of us whose powers are somewhat compromised by the snow," he said as he looked over Inara, Lyle, and Dalaja, "stick close together. Torch, are you adequately warm right now."

Lyle nodded. "Reasonably. I'll be able to keep a decent flame going at least."

"Good. Let the girls stick close to you. They'll need your warmth; we don't want to have to thaw out Oceana and Nymph looks pale enough right now as she is." With that he popped the door and the inexperienced team piled from the car. With a motion from their two leaders the team crept into the surrounding trees, using the heavy shadows of the piled snow to hide them. Their black and colored uniforms were a standout against all the white, except for Prism, who's uniform was iridescent and matched their surroundings.

They moved surprisingly silent for over a dozen teenagers creeping through thick snow. Only Alex commented wryly. "Can we ever get a decent day? After this Lyle has to make me another sandwich."

"Alex you had four sandwiches already." Chloe threw a speculative expression at the blonde boy with a raised eyebrow. "At least as far as we know. Don't you ever get full _mon ami_?" she inquired in a heavily Parisian-accented whisper.

Dynamo grinned back sheepishly. He always wore that expression when he was talking to girls. "Sometimes. But my healing factor is always running so I need a lot of caloric energy replaced constantly. So no matter how much I eat, I don't get fat." His half-grin turned more mischievous. "Also, I had five sandwiches. I knicked Russell's."

Flex glared at him from his place near the rear of the group and was about to retort when StoneHeart held up his hand. "Shh. You can hear now." Dalaja settled with Lyle on her left side and Rapport on her right.

Indeed they could hear. There were loud and harsh voices calling out in jeering tones. They were on the edge of the boarding house's backyard. Through the open kitchen window they could easily hear the raised voices of the Brotherhood. One snarled above the others, and it was so dangerously menacing mixed with its accent that they all felt a quiver of fear. Somehow, the voice kept a low volume that carried and demanded attention at the same time.

"_Am avut destule!"_ (I've had enough!) Snarled the voice. "If this is their choice of entertainment, I'll make them pay for their ridicule of us."

There was a shuffle and a German accented voice spoke instead, along with the more familiar voice of Wanda.

"No Emilian, you cannot."

"Azula's right. I hate these creeps just as much as you do, but your temper causes more damage than we can deal with."

"Who-cares-about-the-damage?" Pietro was agitated, so his words came even faster than they normally did. "You've all seen what these Friends of Humanity freaks do to mutants, I say we just let Wraith off the leash and show them what happens when they mess with the wrong mutants."

"Shut up Pietro! We'll get rid of them, but let's try to at least make sure no one dies."

"_Biestemul ei in iad! Eu zic ca nu ne omoara."_ Emilian spat visciously and from the venom in his voice they all got the hint that he was not in agreement with sparing lives.

Toad spoke up next. "Listen, maybe we're not murderers, but I agree with Ghost Boy. What do we care 'bout these scumbags, they started it."

"Because," came the smooth words of Morpheus, "it won't matter to anyone if the Friends of Humanity crucify us, but if we attack humans, openly at least, then they hunt us down like animals. Sure, you've done stuff like this before, but with the way things are now we'd be locked up in a concentration camp before we could spit. And if we let Wraith of the chain, no offense Lian, we'd find bullets in our heads for being mass killers by the end of the week. Lian is no saint when it comes to bloodshed."

There was a frightened silence. Inside the trashed house, the original Brotherhood resisted the urge to move away from the dark newcomer. Emilian didn't seem put out at their reactions to him.

"I am not the most merciful when dealing with people who have wronged me." He replied coolly.

Outside Rapport yipped and squeezed his eyes shut. His face twisted into a terrifying expression for a second and his hands twitched. Dalaja turned to him in concern. "What are you feeling?"

David's eyes were big when he opened them again. "A dark rage like I've never felt before. It was so strong for a moment I felt like strangling someone. I almost couldn't hold it back." His head lowered as he panted, trying to recover from the rush of murderous emotion that had flooded him temporarily.

StoneHeart stood. "I think now is as good a time as any to intervene. Rappot, Waver, follow me." Rapport shoved away that darkness still clouding his brain and crossed the lawn with his teammates.

StoneHeart knocked on the rear door. There was a moment of silence inside before the door shot open, revealing Wanda and Lance with hands raised, ready to release merciless attacks. When they saw who it was they relaxed as StoneHeart spoke with them briefly and then the three X-men disappeared inside.

Oceana shivered and huddled a little closer to Lyle. He was always warm even if he himself was chilled. Torch could feel her pressing against him and threw the Indian girl a devilish smirk. "Not close enough for you little lady? Always thought I was irresistable."

Oceana sputtered in astonishment and mortification, her blue eyes darting about to see if anyone had noticed. With a slight reluctance at the lost warmth she scrabbled away from Lyle. He snorted with laughter, but truly noticing how cute she was for the first time; totally worth a little flirting. For now though, they all had to concentrate as a disembodied whisper made several of them jump.

"_Vite, vite._ Come inside." Chloe hissed and her light footprints tracked back to the house. With the stealth of black-ops, the team drifted over the snow covered lawn one by one until all were inside and the door was closed behind them.

The Brotherhood were huddled in their kitchen, the windows boarded with the shades drawn. The front door and windows were also barricaded. Pyro was making Jiffy-Pop and marshmellows over a campfire in the middle of the floor. Even the nutty Australian was sullen.

StoneHeart was speaking to Lance, but then Avalanche turned to the others. His eyes scanned the group for Kitty but didn't find her. Disappointment was apparent in his gaze but he shrugged it off. Only the new kids, but they were much better than nothing.

"If you were listening, you know the Friends of Humanity have extended to Bayville. They thought it was best someone be around to harass us while everyone else is busy Christmas shopping." His brown eyes were narrowed in anger.

"They have been demanding ve come out and _surrender._" Azula's accent became thicker with a snide air as she made the air quotes. Dalaja experienced a purely random thought of how many various accented nationalities now resided in the upstate city. "I svear to _Gott_, it's like a bad gangster movie."

"Also like gangster movies, they's perfectly fine wit whacking us." Toad stated nervously from his place on Blob's shoulders.

"We are here to help." Oceana spoke up on a whim, her soft voice sounding compassionate and understanding. "What exactly have they done so far?"

Pietro responded faster than anyone else of course. "Just popped up like weeds outside the house and demand that the mutants come out. Haven't done much so far but yell insults, but I bet they're just drawing out their fun. They'll come in and get us sooner or later."

"Then we better hit them before they hit us." Eclipse growled, spoiling for a fight. He, probably, had suffered more abuse for his mutation than most of his friends. His hair color and eye mask had earned him ridicule, hatred, and violence more than he let on about. Now he wanted to take it out on someone, years of pent up anger waiting for vengeance.

"There is a problem." Oceana countered. "Morpheus pointed out that we cannot attack them outright or we will all be imprisoned for retaliating."

"Not necessarily." Inara spoke up. "The Friends of Humanity is an illegal anti-mutant group. They've killed mutants before the law on registration has been passed, so defence against planned violence won't get us in jail."

"Still." It was Nikolai this time. "Because they are illegal, they have no conscience were they to lie in court for the reason of attack. We are secluded out here with no current witnesses, so were this to become legal we would have no proof that a counter attack was precedented."

"Dear God, let me know when it stops being technical and becomes physical." Sparks groaned as she snatched the Jiffy Pop from an indignant Pyro and began to scarf in frustration.

"It 'as to be 'technical' Amy, if we're going to figure out how to drive 'em out." The Aussie twang in Prism's voice caught Pyro's attention and he peered at the flawless silver haired girl with his ice blue eyes. She caught him staring, and instead of shrugging him off with disgust she winked. It was subtle and flirtatious and Oceana, who witnessed the silent exchange unfolding, knew that Shiloh was a well practiced flirt. Not surprising since she almost glowed perfection. Pyro's eyes became a little excited.

Oceana was brought out of her brain pause when Marshall poked her. "Still here? StoneHeart wants to know you're take on this."

Dalaja was startled. Why was StoneHeart asking her opinion? Sure, she was a good fighter, but she had never taken a lead position in training or much in anything else. At least not in America. Everyone was looking expectantly at her so she summoned whatever outgoing personality remained of what she had been once.

"I think that it is possible to get them away without it becoming a legal complication. If we plan correctly, we can drive them off without actual physical combat."

There were several murmurs of dubious natures but StoneHeart silenced them. "This is why I ask your opinion Oceana. You take time to think and you aren't easily muddled. Now, what exactly did you have in mind?"

Suppressing the obvious pleasure at StoneHeart's trust in her judgement, Oceana outlined her plan. "Well, we have certain abilities that will cause the Friends of Humanity to retreat if we use them properly, without leaving any evidence that we attacked. After all, they cannout persecute us without their own witnesses. How are they positioned and what are their resources?" She asked Lance.

"Far as we can tell, couple of vans parked back in the trees and the FOH are always toting a few boxes of explosives for property damage from what we've seen on the news. I think they have three vans."

Oceana nodded, thinking. "The vans shouldn't be a problem for Wreck. Just, how are we going to get her over there without being noticed?"

Eclipse shot up. "I've been learning a new trick lately. I can manipulate light waves, bending them where I want, so the professor thought of a good covert skill that I've been practicing. I can take Wreck, making sure the light rays don't hit us. It isn't invisibility yet, but it will keep us shadowed enough to not be seen. It should also help that it's getting dark out."

They all saw that he was right and the sun was sinking beyond the cracks in the boarded windows. "We better hurry this up if we wanna get home before the X-men do." Peyton translated for Noa who was signing this comment.

Oceana gathered herself. It felt weird, leading in anything. She hadn't been so outgoing since coming to America. "All right, here is the plan."

**XXXXXX**

Across the street and hidden in the tree the FOH squadron staked out the house. They couldn't wait till they got the order telling them to move in on those delinquent mutant freaks. They were getting frostbitten out here.

Suddenly there was a tinny shrieking under the darkened boughs. They all turned to stare as the vans wailed like dying animals before clattering to pieces, belching noxious smoke.

The leader, a thickly built man, leapt to his feet. "It's those filthy mutants. They're doin' something."

They all drew out guns and trained them into the darkness around them, ready to fire at any movement. The gloom was even deeper than it had been only a few minutes ago. It was getting hard to see even with the extra glare provided by the snow. Also, an extraordinary creaking was picking up as a frigid wind began to blast them. The bare branches above them spilled snow on the mens' heads as the trees bent almost unnaturally in the gale force wind. Escaping the Friends of Humanity's notice, the branches swept the crates of grenades and explosives onto their sides, spilling the contents into the snow.

"Come on you idiots, find those mutants!" They rushed to pick up their guns and charged into the darkness. Cries and yells erupted from them as the tree branches unexpectedly sent them flying back into their camp again, some with cracked ribs from the heavy wooden limbs.

A spark caught from somewhere and a fire started right next to the crates of explosives. It burst upward in a column of white and yellow, licking greedily at the explosives. The Friends of Humanity panicked and started to scramble away from the coming explosion.

Back at the house, Pyro had broken a wooden chair and set it alight, keeping the three mutants leaning out of the window warm. Cyclone's eyes had gone white like Storm's and his hair whipped around him in the giant wind he was generating. Pyro joined them and helped Lyle to control the flames that they could see flickering among the trees. Nymph was still rather pale but channeled her power as best she could. She could feel it: the wamth in her joints and the fresh clean scent of earth and leaves that she could always smell, no matter where she was.

StoneHeart paced near. "Almost ready?"

"Yeah." She gasped. "That explosion is gonna be difficult. I wish we had Jon with us."

"Just keep doing your job. Oceana and Wraith will take care of the rest."

"Are you sure this was the best idea? I heard what Rapport said about what he was feeling. What if he does something unexpected?"

"We'll just have to trust that Emilian can control himself and will perform as he is expected to. Now concentrate." Nymph nodded and fell back into the embrace of her powers.

In the campsite the merry flames continued to lick at the bombs and grenades. While they distracted the men, the heat was rapidly melting the snow into slush.

"Get out of range!" Screamed the FOH leader. "Then find the muties and pop 'em."

They didn't get the chance as a wall of water knocked them flat and doused the flames, created from the melting snow. It did its task: ruining the explosives without casualties or interference.

The freezing men staggered to their feet, whirling around trying to catch these abomination children that were playing games with pure blood humans. At last they saw a shadow. All guns were trained on it, but it didn't move. Suddenly many more shadows surrounded them. There looked to be at least fifty people surrounding them, but only their shadows could be seen.

The FOH backed into a circle, privately wondering what kind of mutant army was being constructed in this mutie tainted city. The shadows, though they had the humans surrounded, didn't move. They just stood there, silently waiting.

Then the shadows began to morph in shape. Were all the mutants shape shifters? Then the outlines became bigger, and terrible. There were ravening wolves, giant snakes, strange creatures right out of greek mythology. And then the screaming began, wails and hown and shrieks that finally sent the FOH over the edge. They could bully mutants that were alone or in small groups, not many mutants that could become monsters with demon voices. Without their cars, they scrambled out of the trees and dashed down the road and out of sight.

Out of the woods and house poured the Brotherhood and the New X-men, quietly cheering for their victory.

"Man, their faces! We should make haunted houses and sell tickets, we'd be rich." Peyton had tears streaming from her eyes. "How on earth did you make those noises?"

Lance motioned to Zenia and Proxy. "Zenia had the human screams while Proxy did her animal impressions. Pretty convincing too, I might have been scared if I wasn't in the same room with 'em."

"You did very well." Came a powerful voice from above. They all jerked up and gaped as the caped figure landed a few yards down the street from them. They all tensed, ready to run as they were supposed to. Magneto, however, did not approach them but remained where he stood, surveying the young victors.

"It is good to see that young mutants can use their heads as well as their abilities. I know that many of you are wary of me. You shouldn't be, because I am not your enemy. Many of you I have met, and even more I am unfamiliar with."

"What do you want father?" Wanda asked warily. Her bitter memories of her long imprisonment had been wiped from her mind, but after her father had disappeared again and had left her and Pietro alone once more, some of the old resentment returned.

"To invite you home Wanda. This invitation is extended not only to you and your brother, but to everyone here. You all have great talent and power, and I can help you hone that and make you even more powerful."

Wreck sneered. "You tried that. We already said we refuse."

Magneto appraised her coldly. "You may have rejected my generous offer, yes. But this is for all to make their own decisions. Fighting for Xavier and playing hero is fun enough, but what about when the price for your chivalry becomes too high? What if, in Charles' quest for peace and equality, you lose a dear friend or loved one? Will it be a worthy battle then? I don't ask for your answers now, but if you ever feel that your fighting a lost cause, I will know to find you. Think on this." With that he lifted from the ground again and vanished into the cold December stars that now sparked distantly overhead.

They were all silent, various thoughts moving through their heads. People like Dynamo and Copycat shook their heads in disgust, many looked fearful about what Magneto predicted. No one saw a twitch almost of longing on Reflect's face, or the intense interest in the pale blue eyes of Morpheus.

At last Lance turned to the new X-men. "Uh, thanks for the help again."

"We owed it to you after that fiasco at the high school." Oceana responded.

"Yeah, I guess. Just don't tell Summers about this and we're square."

Many of the young X-men smirked and various promises and oaths were heard to affirm their silence. StoneHeart rallied them together.

"Let's go home. I'm guessing from the hour that we'll have a bit of a lecture to slog through."

**XXXXXX**

Masato was right. Scott, Logan, Beast, and the professor were all waiting for them in the foyer. Scott, as their team leader, set off on a swift but loud tirade about disobeying orders while his new trainees took it with dignity. They could see Bobby, Jamie, Amara, and Jubilee watching around the corner with sympathy in their faces. They'd all heared that rant before.

Beast said nothing, Logan merely threatened bodily harm if they did it again, and at last the professor looked on them all. "Would all please explain to me why you decided to leave the institute?"

StoneHeart tried to open his thoughts and explain fully to the professor, while giving a relatively satisfactory answer out loud. "Tsarina detected a disturbance in town. If it was anything out of our league or something we need not have been involved in, we were going to come right back. The Friends of Humanity have decided to extend to Bayville. We helped to dissapate the disturbance without showing ourselves and no one was hurt." His thoughts went over the Brotherhood's conversation, Oceana's clever ploy to drive away the rioters, and the appearance of Magneto. The professor nodded, taking in the spoken and silent explanations.

"Thank you StoneHeart. I admire all your intentions and the leadership qualities that have been exhibited today, but you are still my charges while you are here and to keep you safe while you are still under trained you must follow my judgement. However, tonight I bear you no ill will and I applaude your victory. Remember, this cannot happen again without my permission."

The students all nodded their heads. Logan grunted.

"Least these kids have some types of heads to put on their shoulders. Now that the lecturing is finished, who's up for a late DR session?"

They didn't even bother to groan. The teachers staggered as the new students flowed past them like a raging river and swept up the stairs, their footsteps thundering to their respective rooms. Brief and clipped shouts of 'g'night' rang out upstairs before doors slammed and all was silent.

**Not after a whole day of the Danger Room and FOH as well! Hope you enjoyed and that I'm getting all your characters right. I'm trying to get each character some kind of story plot, but there's a bunch of them, so if you people could help me out I'd be really thankful. If there's something you want to see your character do, don't hesitate to comment or PM.**

**Oh, and I think we have just the Christmas chapter to go before the beginning of the first story arc. Watch out for 'Story Arc 1: Omen of the Ravens.'**


	12. Christmas Cheer

**This is the longest chapter I've done so far, but I wanted to catch the full spirit of the holidays. Even if it's currently August.**

**Chapter 12 – Christmas Cheer**

December was rolling along like the thick, steel gray clouds that yielded more snow than Bayville had seen in years. The cold weather kept the crowds away, so it was easier for the mutants to come and go from the mansion. The additions of scarves, thick coats, and hats to their wardrobes helped to disguise their identities. The hysteria had died somewhat, but they were still wary of going out in public. Even so, Christmas was in the air, and no one couldn't feel the peace that it brought with it.

**December 11****th**

"Isn't this gorgeous? I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful coat in my life!" Inara exclaimed, brandishing the long forest green button up coat with a high collar and a tie-around sash.

A group of the x-girls were in the Bayville mall shopping for Christmas presents and anything else that took their fancy. Over the last stressful months the credit cards that payed for their various needs and purchases had been sadly neglected. They were now splurging to make up for lost time.

The rest of her group caught up with her: Kitty (of course), Amara, Jubilee, Tabby, Peyton, Dalaja and Bridget, Allison, and Noa. Most of them had bags on their arms and their cheeks were flushed with shopping fever.

Kitty bounced forward. Though she was the oldest of the group, besides Tabby, her mall girl was turned on at high and she was just as bubbly as the rest of them. "Ooh, it would look like, totally gorgeous on you Inara. I prefer pink, but green is just so like _you_. Try it on!" Inara swiftly complied, shedding her own thick bomber jacket and slipping on the soft coat. The other girls drooled at the magnificent find.

"So, am I as glorious as I think I am, or more so?" Inara asked, putting on a snobbish voice, poofing out her lips, and striking various model poses.

"More so." Was the unanimous agreement. "Buy it."

While she did that, they all wandered off through the Forever 21 looking for anything else worth buying. Noa was flicking quickly through the racks, her ADHD making her move twice as fast as the other girls. Dalaja and Bridget stayed together, Dala refusing to leave her friend. Bridget found it endearing and annoying, but she had been having headaches since her near-death experience so she allowed for concern. Tabby and Amara were trying to convince Jubilee to swap out that yellow coat of hers for something more seasonal and Jubes was being stubborn. Peyton, Allison, and Kitty had taken to the dressing rooms after finding various items of interest.

Noa was busy contemplating a pair of boots and didn't notice Allison drifting over. Noa had never really spent much time around Allison so she didn't really know what to do. The girl, who had changed to short and spikey red hair with brown eyes, reached over and admired a purple scoop neck blouse. She lifted it and held it to herself. She turned and Noa read, "how would this look on me, do you think?", on her lips. Over time Noa had gotten a little better at lipreading English speakers. She mouthed back, not knowing if Allison knew sign language.

"_It looks good. You should try it on."_ Allison got it and began to searce for earrings that matched. Again she silently began to talk.

"_You heard about that Christmas party thing coming up?"_ Noa had. To lighten spirits the Institute was inviting several of the students' families to join them at the mansion, since it was extremely difficult for a mutant to book a plane or train trip these days. Christmas Eve was meant to be a large party and a dance for the students. It was formal, which half warranted this mall crawl: so the girls could search for appropriate dresses.

"_You going?"_ Noa felt discouraged. Dances also were difficulties, I mean who could dance without hearing the music? But she wasn't going to let her deafness get in the way of this. No, she was going to that party. She wouldn't let anything deter her from living as a teen should. She nodded vigorously.

Allison smiled. She had always admired Noa's character and her bravery, though she didn't really know the girl.

"_Cool. Have you picked out your dress yet?"_

"_No, not yet."_

"_Well then, let's go find one."_ Without further ado, Allison dragged Noa over to the formal dresses. Noa grinned. Must be something in the winter air.

**December 13****th**

Carter took another swing at the large punching bag in the downstairs gym. A long workout always made him feel more relaxed and accomplished. Accomplishment was a feeling that he enjoyed above all others. After his first years in this country, it was almost a necessity for him. He hated the feeling of uselessness that he had experienced as he strove to make ends meet, as he watched his father growing every day closer to death. After the day that his father had breathed his last, he never took no for an answer, never gave up in whatever he did.

Sometimes though, even that wasn't enough. With all the hatred that they had been experiencing lately, the sense of sloth and inability had been growing again. His roommates had begun to notice his angst and had started to show concern. Carter didn't want the concern, but he was glad that he wasn't alone. He hated the thought of being utterly alone almost as much as being useless.

The door to the gym hissed open and Patrick walked in. He muttered a brief hey to his roommate before taking a punching bag of his own. Speaking of angst… Carter wasn't the only one who had been growing more meloncholy as the month passed. Patrick was more subtle, but Carter had seen him in solitude and his eyes were growing dimmer everyday.

Carter wasn't normally the therapist, but he could be understanding. It felt wrong to see the lively freshman acting like this, and he felt responsible to help.

"Anything bothering you?"

Patrick hit the bag hard and it went swinging. "Why would you think that?"

Carter rolled his hazel eyes. "Your poker face sucks. Come on, I know that something's bugging you. Maybe I can help while no one else is around."

Patrick sighed and his shoulders sagged. His brown eyes took on such a sudden depression that Carter jumped to the conclusion of mood swings. Instead, Patrick lifted the bangs out of his eyes on the left side. Revealed where his unusual hair normally covered was a long scar running jagged along his scalp.

"It's been exactly three years since I got this. Same night Mom and my little sister died. With their deaths my powers were born. It was an accident and not my fault, not anyone's fault really, it just still hurts more than I could ever explain, that I was there and couldn't do anything." He hung his head. Carter was silent, not having expected to get a response as heavy as this. Patrick continued, seeming relieved to get it off his chest.

"We were all out shopping, well, me and my mom and sister. Looking for a good present for Dad. We hit the parking lot and it was really icy. A car lost control, and…I was so scared my powers manifested. I tried to help, since I was out of the way. I could feel my new power and I thought it was a Christmas miracle, a way to save my family. But I wasn't fast enough; I couldn't control my powers very well and the blast knocked me over and I missed. I slammed my head on the pavement and they were hit. Probably didn't even feel anything it hit 'em so fast and hard. It just felt like one giant tease: I had inhuman powers right at the moment something like that would be most useful, but I couldn't do anything. Christmases just haven't been the same since."

His mournful eyes turned away and he began to hit the punching bag again. "In my house, we were raised thinking that the son of God was born on Christmas, and that we should give thanks for the greatest of gifts. How can I do that, when my mother and sister were taken away when I'm supposed to be thankful? It's just the sick irony of the world I guess." His punches flew faster until searing light enveloped his hand and his next punch burned a hole right through the leather and stuffing.

Carter felt pity. Here was a kindred spirit he hadn't even known was there. One who looked on helplessness with fear and detestation. Patrick had lost family too, and had been unable to save them no matter that he had tried his hardest. Guess he wasn't so alone after all.

Carter replied. "I'm not really religious, but I do think that bad things happen for a reason. I hate them as much as you do, but they make us stronger if we're willing to bear the burden. I don't know why your family had to die, or why my father was taken from me, but those experiences help shape us to who we are today."

"And what if we're shaped into something we don't want to be?" Patrick asked. "I've heard about what Magneto's experiences did to him. What if that's what we're turning into?"

Carter hesitated. That was difficult. He sighed and joined Patrick as they departed from the gym. "We are shaped as we choose to be. Hopefully we can choose the right way, when the time comes."

**December 19****th**

Rogue sat on a cold stone bench situated in the forest on the mansion grounds. The first families had started to arrive a little earlier than planned. Inara's family had come from England. Jean's parents were due at the end of the day. Rogue wasn't typically adverse to seeing families together but this year, with all the families coming to the Institute, loneliness had been growing increasingly. It reminded her why she felt so alone. Sure she had Kurt, and Logan had always been like a father to her, but Kurt's adoptive parents were flying in from Germany and Logan was always gone on Christmas. Also, watching everyone hug and kiss and embrace only increased her sense of solitude. So she sat secluded among the silent, snow covered trees.

He was so quiet that she didn't hear his approach until he placed one of his large, warm hands on her shoulder as he sat beside her. Rogue withdrew but Remy scooted closer, staying near to her.

Rogue growled at him. "What do ya want Cajun?"

For once in the months that he had been there, his eyes were absolutely serious with a hint of compassion and understanding in his red irises.

"S'not right dat _chere_ should be out here all alone."

"Ah feel like it." She got up to walk away, but he grabbed her gloved hand and held her. His gaze held a warmth and kindness that halted her more than his iron grip.

"Couple a de kids been hangin' out in de kitchen, plannin' Christmas dinner and goofin' off. Remy wan' ta be dere, make sure dey put some Southern goodness on dat menu. He was jus' wonderin' if Rogue would like to join in de fun?"

Rogue felt divided. The Rogue in her, the moody and solitary Goth girl, wanted to pull away and hide even deeper in the freezing forest. The other side was stronger still. Anna Marie longed to join in the warmth and companionship that waited inside. For once, Anna Marie got her wish.

Remy smiled and led her back inside into the fragrant toastiness of the massive kitchen. Lyle, Amy, Jonothan, Nikolai, David, and Shiloh were all crowded around. The smell of cookies and brownies filled the space with heavenly smells. Shiloh and David were decorating giant, festive cookies with frosting, chocolate chips, sprinkles, gumdrops, and whatever else they could cram on. Shiloh nudged David and smudged his nose with frosting and he grinned back, launching a counter attack with a spray of M&Ms. He looked more joyful than Rogue had ever seen him. Amy was flirting shamelessly with Jonothan, and Nikolai and Lyle were discussing with all seriousness the upcoming Christmas dinner. Inara's dog Shadow was snuffling along the floor hoping to pick up the dropped candy.

"…what's hard is that there are people from so many different countries and areas that getting all the favorite dishes in is going to be a challenge." Lyle proclaimed.

"Remy don' care what else y'all serve, long as we got some good real Southern gumbo." Gambit jumped in.

Lyle turned, his Chef Ramsey expression on his face. Lyle was one of the dominant rulers in the kitchen, his only rivals were Jean and Remy. The three had come to some nasty scraps over the divided territory, but they had sworn to play nice over the holiday season.

"Alright then, you can make that. Never had gumbo so I wouldn't know how to make it." Remy gaped at him.

"Well, Remy better make a right proper Cajun dish for de Brit Boy. Show 'im what real food tastes like."

Lyle huffed but he still looked lively. "Why does everyone call me the Brit Boy when I've lived in New York for years now? No one calls Jonothan Brit Boy, he actually lives in England."

"Because we are stuck between calling him Brit or Seamus." Nikolai said simply. Jon shot him an annoyed look at the crack on his english/irish heritage, but Nikolai's face was absolutely straight. The stare down lasted for about five more seconds before they both cracked up, more than a little hyped on humor and sugar.

Lyle shrugged. "Whatever. People can request their favorite dishes and we can have an international Christmas feast. You two can help David and Shiloh with the cookies if you want. Jonothan and Amy have the next batch."

Rogue and Remy settled down , proceeding to bury the cookies under avalanches of sweet toppings. The time passed pleasantly, spent by eating any dud cookies, decorating, discussing the coming Christmas party, cracking up at stupid 'that's what she said' jokes, and the boys sticking gumdrops all over their faces.

Rogue smiled brilliantly. She couldn't remember the last time she had had this much fun. She gasped as cold sticky stuff sprayed all over her. She glared as Gambit pleasantly waved the bottle of whipped cream at her. Steam almost pouring out of her ears, Rogue seized a large bowl of pudding on the counter. Remy's eyes widened.

"Ya wouldn't."

"Try me." She snarled before dumping the chocolate mess over his head. It splattered on Shiloh too, who went for the deadly jawbreakers in retaliation.

"Food fight!" Amy yelled and the kitchen broke out in chaos. Shadow evacuated the kitchen with a panicked yelp, his fur splattered with frosting. David tackled Lyle to the ground, the bowl of M&Ms and Reese's Pieces clattering to the ground around them. Jonothan smashed a handful of whipped cream into Shiloh's face while Amy pelted Nikolai mercilessly in a hail of chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Remy and Rogue were dueling like Roman gladiators, both covered almost head to foot in a mess of candy and junk food.

"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?" The pandemonium froze under Logan's icy stare. Several other students peeked around him to stare in wonder at the scene before them, eyes wide.

Rogue grinned sheepishly. "Just bakin' and decoratin' treats."

**December 21****st**

Across town at the Brotherhood house, Azula stared around. Decorations were scanty, amounting to a wreath over the fireplace, a scraggle of mistletoe in the living room doorway, and a small tree that they had all brought in together. It hardly had any ornaments on it. Azula sighed, remembering the Christmases in Germany spent with her family. She wondered if they ever thought about her. Maybe not, after all, she had run away. Yet, she had run away to protect them. The people in her town had been highly prejudiced against mutants, even violently. She wouldn't have let her parents be in danger if she could do something about it. Still, it ached to know that they would be together by the tree in their small and cozy living room, perhaps or perhaps not missing their shapeshifting daughter.

Michael approached in his usual swagger. He cocked his eye at the mistletoe and leaned in, his devilish smirk in place. Azula halted him with her usual raised eyebrow and lean muscled arm.

"Ah, c'mon Zee. What's the harm? It's a tradition."

"_Mein freund_, I've thought of you as a best friend and maybe more, and in fact you are zhe only person that I usually care to talk to for an extended amount of time, but I am just not ready for zat kind of thing yet."

"It was just gonna be a peck. Not like a was going to sweep you off your feet and have a make out session in the snow, though that sounds highly appealing right now." His blue eyes sparked deviously.

"To you maybe." She secretly loved that flabbergasted look he wore when she said that kissing him might not be on her top ten favorites list. True, she privately did find him highly attractive but she wasn't going to let him wrap her around his little finger like he had done to many other girls. He looked like a good boy, but he was and always would be the bad guy. He didn't ride motorcycles or have a dark and mysterious aura, but his blatant desire for adventures and thrills would have made Scott Summers blow his own head off.

"Anyway, I zhink zat ve should be more attentive to Emilian. Ever since zhe FOH came he has been…even more distant zhan before."

"Lian is strong. He doesn't need us to hold his hand."

"You may not be vorried, but he never told _me_ zhe reason he is vith us in zhe first place."

Morpheus spoke quietly. "He decided to trust me with that knowledge and it's his to divulge. He doesn't feel the same way about us as we do about him, and I won't betray the shred of trust he gave to me."

Azula stopped. Morpheus saw Emilian as his brother, that she knew, but Lian never returned the sentiment. Azula didn't know why Michael felt so strongly for his Romanian friend but she knew that Michael would never betray something that Lian had told him. She found it odd; carefree, delinquent, flirting, thrill-seeking Morpheus and the quiet, secluded, secretive Wraith. Polar opposites and Michael cared for his distant companion like a sibling.

Instead she looked around again. The Brotherhood were scattered around the house, the approaching holiday having little to no effect on their routines. It wasn't like these orphans and loners could expect much celebration. Azula stood up straighter and yelled, having made a descision on a whim.

"Everybody come to zhe living room, now!"

Toad and Blob wandered in from the kitchen, confused. Pietro was downstairs with a sharp breeze and was in his favorite armchair faster than one could blink. Wanda and Lance followed him more slowly, darting questioning looks to Azula. Pyro pranced in and shadowed Wanda, flicking his lighter open and closed. Lastly, the shadows in the corner solidified into a dark form before Emilian's features emerged.

Azula peered around. "Zhis house is driving me to my grave. We are livening it up a bit. Now, Todd and Freddy can fetch pine branches and such from zhe forest nearby, John can make use of zhe fireplace. Vanda and I shall go buy some decorations and lights for zhis house, and vhen we get back Emilian and Avalanche can put them up. Pietro and Michael can clean then help us girls decorate the house and tree."

Everyone stared and Todd asked, "Eh, you're serious?"

Azula shot him a pointed stare. "If I wasn't, I vouldn't be saying it. I don't speak for the pleasure of hearing my own voice, unlike some." Michael smirked at the tagged on words. "Now, hurry up. I expect those jobs to be finished by zhe time I get back. Coming Wanda?"

The Scarlet Witch smiled and followed the other Brotherhood girl out to Lance's jeep. As Azula took the driver's seat Wanda simply said, "Thanks." They peeled off for the nearest store.

By the time they returned with their purchases, courtesy of Azula's bank accounts, the house was as clean as it was going to get. They handed off the lights and outdoor garlands to Lance and Emilian who set to work setting them up. Inside it was much warmer than it had been, a merry fire crackling in the fireplace. Pyro was now lighting the candles that the girls brought home. Todd and Fred puffed in, red nosed and dripping, dragging garlands. John was able to dry them off without burning them while the girls, Michael, and Pietro hung wreaths, garlands, and ornaments on their tree. Azula and Wanda had bought food as well and they set to work on a decent dinner for the household of misfits.

By nine o' clock the house had been transformed as if by magic. White lights dangled in front of the house, haphazardly yes, but there. The tree sparkled and twinkled, the light from the fire making the ornaments flicker with the reflection. The delicious smell of stew, sweet potatoes, and corn bread wafted from the kitchen. The boys' mouths watered. It had been a good long time since any of them had had a Christmas like this.

Several hours after dinner they sat like any normal teenagers and toasted marshmallows by the fire and sipped eggnog. Lance leaned unexpectedly toward Azula.

"Thanks for that. Don't know how long it's been since I did something like this."

"You're very velcome. _Frohes Weihnachten._"

Lance frowned. "I…don't know what that means and you're kinda freakin' me out. You haven't sneered or made a sarcastic comment at anyone for over an hour."

Azula then graced him with her trademark eyeroll and belittling sneer. "_Frohes Weihnachten_ means Merry Christmas meathead. So, I vill say it again so you get it. Merry Christmas Avalanche."

Lance smirked. "That's more like it."

**December 24****th**

Christmas Eve. All the assorted families had arrived at the mansion. The kids were ecstatic at seeing their families after so long and the reunions were long and pleasant. They gave them the grand tour of the mansion, excluding the lower levels, and everyone sat down to a large meal. As the day grew later though, all the students were occupied with thoughts of the coming party.

At about five they said a brief goodbye to their families and headed upstairs to get dressed, the girls needing two hours at least to prepare for the dance that started at eight.

Aqua contemplated her dress. It wasn't very long, just above the knees, and in her trademark electric blue color that matched the highlights in her hair. The top edge was scalloped with a sweeping neckline. She had chosen sensible black heels and combined a mix of green and red jewelry to reflect the Christmas season. Her long hair was done up in an elegant bun with curled strands dangling around her shapely face. It worked well with her tan skin and brought out the blue flecks in her silvery eyes.

Their was a very near viscious pounding on the bathroom door. Peyton's voice echoed through.

"Aqua, come on, I wanna see the dress and we gotta go. Almost everyone else is heading downstairs."

Aqua felt a tiny grin on her face. Peyton was like a little sister, irritating and lovable. You didn't know whether to comply with her wishes or to scream for her to leave you alone. She added a last touch of makeup before opening the door. Peyton gaped as did Noa behind her.

"Whoa. I think you should change, or else all the guys will drop dead when you walk in."

Aqua snorted. "You don't look so bad yourselves."

Peyton was in a sunny yellow dress that was figure hugging at the torso and billowed out in the skirt with a gold sash around the hips. This was combined by a tiny black shoulder shrug, the sleeves going to the elbows with pearl jewelry to soften the bold dress. Noa's dress was traditional prom dress style in milk chocolate brown and a black scarf, which played well off of her dark red accents.

"Well, you wanted to go, let's go." Aqua took the lead down the grand staircase. They could hear the voices of the adults in the formal sitting room. She felt a stab of sadness. Her dad hadn't come; she didn't know why he hadn't, but she missed him desperately. Their relationship had grown much closer ever since she became a mutant. Suddenly the professor emerged into the foyer and beckoned her.

"Aqua, could you spare a minute. You won't miss anything, they're still setting up."

She motioned that her roommates should go on without her and followed the professor into the sitting room. A man stood up from one of the couches with familiar blue-gray eyes and black hair. Delight welled inside of her like a flood.

"Dad." Before she knew it she was in his arms and hugging him. He embraced his daughter.

"Merry Christmas sweetie. Did you think that I would miss the invitation to come and see you?"

Aqua smiled at him. "You're always so busy around Christmas."

"I decided to take a well-deserved vacation. Don't worry, we can talk about everything tomorrow and for the week I'm staying here. I just wanted you to know I was here. I did intend to wait till tomorrow to surprise you, but I missed you so much I couldn't wait. By the way, when did you get so strong? You nearly crushed my ribs when you hugged me."

Aqua snickered a bit. "That happens when you work out twice a day, every day."

"Guess so." Joseph Brown rubbed his ribcage and winced a bit. "Now, go on. I wouldn't want you to miss your party. Have fun Aqua."

"Thanks Dad." She pecked him on the cheek and left the room. She went down one of the hallways and then turned into the large living room. Her eyes widened as she took in the place.

All the furniture had been removed except for a few chairs near the fireplace and three tables supporting snacks. Ice sculptures were hanging around the room, undoubtedly Bobby's handiwork, and sparkling icicles hung from the ceiling. The lights had been covered in blue shading, giving the room a wintery glow. Glitter fell from the ceiling like snowflakes and they had somehow rigged a disco ball. The gigantic Christmas tree glittered in the corner and the roaring fire kept the room from freezing with all the ice.

There was a squabbling noise near the music speakers and then 'DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love' by Usher blared out. The many super teens whooped and the party commenced.

Aqua felt a moment of awkwardness before a familiar scent of pine and cologne signaled the arrival of Jonothan.

"Can you believe these decorations?" He asked in amazement. "My old prep school never had a dance this elaborate."

"It's because we've all been cooped up. All that energy has to go somewhere."

"I'll say. Want some punch?"

Aqua thought punch sounded good and they weaved their way to the snacks table. Scott stood there as he observed the party and talked to his little brother Alex, who had arrived yesterday. However, Jean appeared out of nowhere and dragged him to the dancefloor with his little brother laughing the whole time.

The two teens grabbed glasses and sipped at the delicious concoction. Jon winced and rubbed his temple.

"Are you alright?" Aqua lowered her own glass.

"Yeah, just these dang headaches. They're fading, just very slowly. It's driving me insane." He gave her his adorable half grin. She loved that grin, and his green eyes truly were gorgeous. She twitched a curl of raven hair from her face and smiled back.

Jonothan was trying not to stare. His friend had pulled out all the stops tonight, and he was finding it hard to not fall to his knees and worship at her feet. He found Aqua the most beautiful girl at the Institute, inside and out. He had seen the care, wisdom, and loyal bravery behind a shy and often sarcastic mask. Everytime he talked to her he saw even more of what an amazing person she was. He found himself twisting his hands together and reached for his punch glass to cover it up. His gaze darted to the dancefloor, then back to those platinum eyes. He took a deep breath. Really, what was the harm in a dance among friends?

Suddenly, a strong and sleek arm slipped through his and he jumped a little at the static shock he received.

"Hey Cutie. Come on, I love this song and Roberto doesn't know how to dance. Let's go." Amy pulled him relentlessly out into the crowd. Jon cursed in his head. He liked Amy and all, but she had the world's worst timing.

Aqua watched Jon being towed out by Sparks. She tried to quell the rush of heat up her spine and into her fingertips. She could feel the air heating up around her and the nearest ice sculpture began to droop. She shook her head and gulped the rest of her punch, telling herself that the heat she felt was not jealousy.

Sitting in the chairs by the fireplace, Kitty and Rogue were talking. Kitty had just plopped down after dancing herself silly for the first couple songs while Rogue had been sitting there since the night began.

"You okay Rogue? You look, like, totally out of it." Kitty asked her friend.

"Kit, the last time Ah danced Ah put a guy in a coma. We've been over this before."

"Well, you don't have to dance the whole time. You could just like, you know, dance once or something."

Rogue sighed and mumbled under her breath. "One dance is all it takes." She stood up. "Kitty, Ah think Ah'm just gonna go back upstairs and read. Y'all go have fun."

Kitty was about to protest this when a heavy Cajun drawl interrupted. "I don' tink so chere." Before the Goth could register what had happened, Gambit was sweeping her onto the floor with a bold grace.

"Gambit, I swear…" but he had already pulled her to him and moved with the slower music that had come on. Kitty giggled, happy for her friend, but she now felt a little lonesome herself. Sure, all the guys here were nice and all, but she found herself wishing Lance were there.

Almost the next moment, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw the nervous face of Piotr there. He shuffled a little and asked in his adorable accent. "I thought you looked a little lonely Katya. Would you…care to dance?"

Kitty smiled radiantly. She almost jumped up, straightening the pink fabric of her dress. "Yeah! I mean, like, totally. I'd love to Pete." He smiled warmly as he put his large arm through her petite one.

Nearby, Alex Rogers was munching on snacks to boost his energy and talking to his friends. The first activity he was fine with, but the second was becoming less pleasant by the sentence.

"Come on Alex," egged Lyle, backed by a few of the others. "We've all had one dance at least, you can't just stand here the whole night hogging the snacks."

"It isn't required that we dance, and I'm fine just standing and talking."

"Oh sweet mother." Bobby threw up his hands. "There's any number of hot girls here and you would rather just stand here?"

"No." Carter's face was straight, but there was cruel amusement in his eyes. "He just can't man up to ask anyone. He can barely talk to a girl anyway without almost swallowing his tongue."

Alex's face became comically red under his gelled blonde hair. "Not true, I just don't feel like asking anyone," he managed to snarl.

"Really?" Carter went on. "So you could ask if you wanted to?" Alex nodded defiantly. "Would you stake money on that Alex?"

"Heck yeah, all three hundred bucks I got with me." Alex's dander was up and he was running right into the trap Carter was leading him into.

Carter sneered. "'Kay, you got a bet. You would ask any girl in this room to dance? Even if we chose for you?"

Alex crossed his arms. His man rep was in jeopardy and he was willing to handle anything these guys threw at him. "I accept those terms. Now get on with it."

Carter smiled like the devil. "I already picked." All the guys leaned in to hear Alex's fate; but Carter merely pointed. "There's your date."

Alex turned and his mouth fell. He had dug his own grave. Tsarina stood near the tree, half in shadow from the fire. Her eyes glinted catlike as she surveyed the congregation of mutants.

Carter smirked as 'oohs' and snickers and high fives were exchanged in the watching crowd. Alex moaned. His three hundred dollars were on the line, but to put it frankly, Tsarina intimidated him and he was sure she was more than capable of beating the **(beep)** out of him if she ever got ticked. With all the courage he could muster, he stalked across the floor toward his challenge. _"You're fine with fighting the FOH and Magneto's cronies, but your scared of a girl who's on your side. It's just one dance."_

He approached with the best swagger he could manage. It turned almost to a slink as she turned her flashing eyes on him as he drew near. He was a good few inches taller, but her stare was like ice.

"Can I help you?" Her eyes slid to a strange burgandy.

He took a deep breath and let it out before he lost his nerve. "W-would you, uh, like to…wanna dance?"

Her face didn't change for the positive or negative. "I do not usually dance. However, I would not want to lose you your bet." He gaped and she shrugged it off.

"Tabitha was nearby and did not hesitate to alert me of it."

Alex let out his breath. "So…do you want to?"

Her shoulders dropped into a slightly more relaxed position. "All right. One will do no harm."

Alex shot his friends a triumphant if shaky grin and led Tsarina to the dance floor. The former song halted, and the lights became a little darker. Katy Perry's 'E.T.' swelled from the speakers and the dancers drew a bit closer. Alex could see various couples: Jon had managed to detach himself from the ostentatious Ms. Cleveland and was leading Aqua through the crowd, Rogue and Kitty were occupied with the two former Acolytes, and Lyle had somehow managed to get Dalaja away from Bridget for a quick spin. Inara and David were a cute couple, and Scott and Jean danced near the fire.

Tsarina stared for a moment before the beat seemed to grab her. She began to sway slowly and by the time the chorus hit, her hands were above her head and her body and hips swung with serpentine grace. Alex danced but now found himself watching his partner. She was in a long figure hugging gown that billowed outward at the ankles; black of course, with a slit running high up her left leg. No sleeves with a silver halter around the neck, mixing with the sapphire pendant. She wore black opera gloves and her hair billowed around her in waves of ebony and snow white. She had tinted her black lips with cherry red, adding a bit of color to them in an almost bloody effect. For a moment, one of her penetrating eyes caught his gaze. The other eye was covered by a thick lock of raven hair, and the effect had Alex dumbstruck. She continued to move and he went with her. Her twining movements were graceful and he felt like he was being hypnotized. His hand brushed against one of her bare arms and he was shocked, almost literally. He couldn't tell if the satin skin was warm or cold and it left a burning sensation on his finger. She seemed to have felt the same as her arm jerked away. Her eyes flamed and for an instant they were the same shape and color as his. They even glowed like his did when he was fully powered.

They halted and stared at each other before her eyes faded to brown. The song had ended. Tsarina dipped her head and nearly curtsied.

"Thank you for the dance." She then turned and left the floor.

Alex drifted back to the place where his friends waited. He ignored the admiring comments and slaps on the back as he watched the girl in black slide back to where she had stood before, her face once again shadowed.

At eleven the party broke apart and everyone headed back upstairs. The teens all collapsed exhausted into their beds. As they slept toward Christmas morning, dreams of family, snow, and certain friends or dance partners played through their subconcious minds.

**December 25****th**

Kurt looked around. It was about noon and everyone was sipping cocoa and admiring the holiday's loot that they had received. Several of the reunited families talked quietly off in the corners. It was unnaturally silent. Those who never seemed to run out of energy were outside in the softly falling snow, while others sat around the room silently reading or sleeping. Kurt could see Aqua talking with her father, Noa playing a board game with her brother Ori, and surprisingly, Gambit and Rogue leaning up against one another on the couch and napping.

He decided to go and call Amanda and tell her Merry Christmas. Out in the hall he spied Jean and Scott talking all lovey-dovey to each other, and at that moment Logan stalked in and headed straight to his room.

Kurt knew that in an hour or two the mansion's self-appointed chefs would enter the kitchen and start cooking the vast meal. Everyone else would wrap up the horseplay outside and come in to play party games or watch a movie. They would eat, then sit around the tree and fire and at last would head to bed. Kurt felt a deep contentment. Though he had had many nice holidays in Germany, he could never remember one that felt so full, so right. Like all his family were truly there.

**Up Next: Story Arc 1 "Omen of the Ravens" part 1**


	13. Omen of the Ravens: Part I

**Yes people, I'm finally back. Sorry it took me such a friggin' long time to update this story, especially since I left you on the edge of the story arc. Well, here it is and I hope it was worth the wait.**

**Story Arc I: Part I**

**Omen of the Ravens**

_The girl knew something was definitely wrong. Why was she walking home from school in the dark? And, why was it so cold? Even though her home got decent amounts of snow and chill in the winter, the frigid temperature was painful. She realized that the cold was making it difficult to move. She stood shivering in the empty street. Suddenly she could hear an unfamiliar voice, chanting in words that she didn't know. The voice was timeless, neither old nor young, but though the voice was soft she cowered in fear. She began to feel pain all over her body. She tried to run, to do anything, but she was frozen as what felt like kitchen knives were poking up from her bones and muscles through her skin. She tried her best to convince herself that the pain wasn't real, it was in her head. But when she looked down at her skin she let out a silent scream of horror. Her arms were sprouting pitch black feathers and her hands were melding together into the ends of bird wings. She could see through her peripheral vision that her strawberry blonde hair was retracting back into her skull to be replaced with more feathers. A beak sprouted from her face, and somehow she knew, without seeing it, that her eyes were morphing from their vibrant green to glowing yellow and inhuman spheres. She yelled again but out of her mouth came not the terrified cry of a teenage girl, but the hoarse scream of a bird of prey…_

**XXXXXX**

Bridget bolted upward, panting. Man, that freaky dream just wouldn't go away since the whole Magneto incident. Maybe she should ask the professor about it, or maybe just take some sleeping pills that could knock her out for the hours that she slept.

Suddenly Dalaja poked her head around the corner of the bedroom door, or more likely bobbed her head around the corner as she hopped on one foot trying to pull a blue boot onto her left leg. Her pretty matching eyes widened when she saw Bridget still in bed.

"Bridget, what are you still doing in bed? Breakfast is already over and the Danger Room session starts in ten minutes."

"What?" Bridget screeched as she flung herself out of bed and hurtled to her closet in ripped out her uniform. "Ah man, I completely forgot!"

Dala looked sincerely apologetic. "I thought you were already ready, otherwise I would have gotten you. I guess you'll be facing the DR on an empty stomach."

"Don't remind me," called Bridget from the hallway bathroom. Dalaja hadn't even noticed her run by.

Nine minutes later they skidded into the steel room where the other students were gathered already. Wolverine didn't say anything but gave them a look that clearly said 'you're almost late, it better not happen again.' He then turned to everyone else and began to outline the plan for the upcoming simulation.

"Today you will be practicing working solo. Up till now you've had most of your training centered around teamwork, but you now need to focus more on getting yourself out of a situation with no help. Just keep going until the exercise ends. Activiate."

With that, the holograms flickered on and all other teammates vanished. Bridget looked around. She was in a long hallway of steel halls, but with no visible ceiling or sky above her. Behind her was just a blank wall. Cracking her knuckles she set off.

It took her very little time to realize that she was in a giant maze. She didn't know whether it was especially large or some effect from the control room was making sure she couldn't find, see, or hear anyone else. As she moved forward the ground shook. She leapt just in time to avoid being dropped down a trapdoor. Better to keep on her toes.

She wandered down several different corridors, using her best guess to try to get herself to the center. She didn't know why, it just made logical sense.

Without warning a shadow dropped in front of her and with a deadly swish a metal pole was swiping towards her head. With honed reflexes she leapt sideways, dropped to the floor and swept her leg out, bringing her attacker down as she scrambled back up into a fighting stance.

Gambit smirked at her. "Not bad _petite_, but dat was jus' de beginning." He lunged forward again and she jumped to the side. Bridget felt her heightened adrenaline lending her speed and agility as the two sparred fiercely. As the fight drew on longer however, her head began throbbing again.

"_C'mon, not now!"_ She tried to endure the growing pain as she backspringed away from her adversary. The next wave of pain barreled into her unexpectedly and she couldn't handle it, falling to her knees and holding her head. This had never happened before, what was wrong?

Gambit stopped and knelt beside the younger girl. "What's de matter? Did Remy hurt ya girl?"

Bridget gasped and curled in. "N-no, I don't – I don't know what's happening to me." When she looked up at him he reeled back against blank white eyes with no pupils or irises. She cried again. "Get out of here," she whispered before she let out a grating screech. He felt a yank and he felt a rush of terror that grew like a looming shadow, reaching out for him…

Some hallways over in the maze, Dalaja was fighting against Cyclops when she heard the scream. The Indian girl whirled.

"Bridget!" she spun back to Cyclops with fear in her gaze.

"Let's go." He ran past her and around the corners that he seemed to have memorized perfectly. Wolverine shot out of nowhere from a side passage and joined them. Around the maze the rest of the students were startled out of their training by the frightful noise.

The trio raced around until they reached the scene of the commotion. They were shocked at what they saw.

Gambit was on the floor, his hands holding his head but other than that he was completely slack, his red irises rolled back in his head so only the black sclera showed. It made him look possessed. He moaned faintly. He didn't thrash or scream but the rapidly fading color in his face was enough to show that this was even worse torture, a torture that was slowly killing him. Bridget was even more terrifying.

She was on her knees, absolutely blank eyes seeming to stare at the victim with no emotion whatsoever. Her hands twitched convulsively from where they lay on her lap and her face was contorted grotesquely to resemble an almost skull-like mask.

Without hesitation Dalaja rushed forward to her friend. "Bridget, stop! What are you doing?"

The mask face turned to her. No emotion was shown but the mouth opened and not one, but _two_ frantic voices yelled out the same words at the same time, one with a thick Cajun accent and the other high and clear. Both were utterly terrified.

"_Let us out! We can't find the way out!"_

"_Let us out! We can' find de way out!"_

**XXXXXX**

Bridget coughed and sputtered as she was tossed in salty waves. She attempted to get her head above the water but it slammed her back down into freezing blackness once again. There was a thrust of storm current and she was tossed painfully against rocks. Her cut and scraped hands clung to the slippery reef and pulled her water logged body away from the sucking depths; but despite being clear of the water the choking panic wouldn't leave. Summoning all the breath she had to spare she screamed out over the raging waves.

"Etienne! Where are you?" the crack of thunder overhead drowned her attempts to call out. Then she thought. She didn't know any Etienne, nor how she had ended up here in the first place. She tried to think through the ever-present fear. The last thing that she remembered was…oh God. This was one of Gambit's memories, a terrible fear, not her own. Unbidden her voice again yelled out in desperation. "Etienne!"

"_This isn't real, stop it now. It's just a fear…but I've never experienced it this way before. I've always seen the fear from _outside_, not actually taking the victim's place. What's happening?_

In an attempt to separate herself from this memory she called out a different name. "Gambit?"

The memory faded enough for her to hear his cry, but she couldn't make out the words. Then she could hear another voice, familiar and blessed.

"_Bridget, stop! What are you doing?"_

The blonde screamed her response to Dala, even though she couldn't see her. She could hear the echo of her victim as well, joining in her desperate plea. "Let us out! We can't find the way out!"

Outside, the X-men and the new trainees were gathered around the two, keeping their distance from the terrifying pair. Dalaja and Nikolai crouched next to their friend while Jean tried to get Gambit out of the life draining trance Bridget and him trapped in. He was already as white as a sheet.

Professor X rolled in, his face urgent and determined. "Back away Jean." The redhead leapt out of the way as the professor delved into the girl's mind. Her mind was wrapped in a dark fog, but it was solid in a strange way. From inside the mental prison he could hear the yelling of the trapped two.

"_Calm down, I'm about to let you out. Try to stay as composed as possible, it will make this easier."_

He concentrated and began to pull the wall down. Just as the misty barrier was about to fall a wave of panic hit him from beyond the barrier and Bridget's psyche howled. _"DON'T PULL IT DOWN!"_

Too late. The foggy wall crumbled and out of it rushed a black wave that contorted into many different shapes: snakes, flames, spiders, and shapes that resembled people. The professor was caught in the wave of psychic terror, plunging him and everyone else in the room into terror.

Bridget tried to stop her power. She had never known what she could really do, and it was tearing her apart. The fears of every one of her teammates were crowding in her mind, becoming her fears as well. From Cyclops she could see herself plunging from a crashing plane, frantically reaching out for her little brother; with Kitty she sank into the ground, out of control, unable to get back to the surface; then she was trapped in a fiery dimension where dinosaur like monsters sprang at her throat, a tank of liquid as molten metal was grafted to her bones, the roar of absorbed psyches loose in her head as she raged out of control. With Dynamo she tumbled from a height, Dala was trapped in the dark of a claustrophobic locker, Noa was wild and feral after watching large cats on that documentary, Lyle and Peyton were drowning, clowns, being alone…

She fell to her knees under the weight. Fear was now a tangible thing, she was almost able to grasp it, and it was becoming all she was. She was trapped in a veritable whirlwind of images and emotions. She cursed her power more than she ever had. She was fear itself, incarnated in flesh and bone.

The flashes of their minds and their mental screams of terror came faster and faster until she hit a familiar memory. This psyche didn't cower as the memory swelled up around her, the ghostly night in the Romanian town as vivid as when Bridget had first seen it. Tsarina's eyes were cold and she didn't move.

The memory seemed to snap and all the fears rushed from Bridget like a breaking dam. The blonde collapsed.

When she looked up again, all the others were clambering weakly to their feet. Their faces were pale and their eyes still held haunted fear.

Bridget looked at them all as they stared at her in astonishment. She could feel hot tears welling in her eyes and falling down her cheeks.

"I-I'm so s-sorry." She sobbed before bolting from the Danger Room.

**XXXXXX**

"Bridget, please open up." Dala knocked insistently on the door. It had been shut and locked for hours after she had run from the danger room. The others had let her be, saying it necessary that she have some time alone, since it was just as traumatizing for her as for them. Dala didn't listen and neither did Nik. They had seen the look on her face and they couldn't leave her alone to brood, believing herself a monster.

"Bree?" she called out the nickname sadly. There had been no response. Just then Jean came around the corner.

She looked sadly at the pair of friends. "I know you're worried about her, but she needs to recuperate. It was an awful shock for her and it hurt physically. Don't worry, tomorrow the professor will work with her on what went wrong with her powers. She'll be fine."

"Could you at least scan her mind, make sure she is alright?" asked Nikolai. The redhea d consented to that much and closed her eyes. Her brows scrunched up then her eyes opened.

"She's not in the room." The other to looked shocked.

Dala looked confused. "How could that be? The door is still locked and I know she has not been out since she came here."

The Russian growled. "I've had enough. Sorry about the door." His fist hardened and grew sharp and he punched straight through the doorknob and lock. The door swung open to an empty room. The only thing out of place was the open closet and a rope of bedsheets hanging out of the window.

"Bridget?" Dalaja ran to the window and looked down. The makeshift rope swayed in the wind, leading to empty grounds where the sun had set. Oceana whirled to Jean, who's fingers were already at her temples. Her green eyes were distressed when they opened again.

"I can't find her anywhere."

**XXXXXX**

Bridget stepped off the bus, her light bag slung over her shoulder. She had run from the mansion hours ago, and it should have given her enough of a head start. After all, the professor couldn't track her with Cerebro unless she used her powers and that she had no intention of doing. She tried to stifle a sob remembering what she had done.

The blonde didn't yet know where she was to go, just away from there. Maybe she could return to Leo, her unofficial surrogate big brother, but she was afraid. What if she did to Leo what she had done to her teammates?

That was when the headache assaulted her again. Clutching her head she stumbled away into a dark alley where no one would be caught in her trap of fear. She sank to the ground near a wall and cried freely at the pain it was causing her and also her uncertainty of what was to come for her. Where could she possibly go when she inflicted nightmares uncontrollably on whoever came close now? Maybe her parents had been right and there was something severely wrong with her.

Through the pain she felt a sudden chill. The darkness in her head reached out for a new victim, but then withdrew. She looked up through puffy eyes. Bridget gasped and crawled back.

Out of the wall a dark shape was approaching. It reminded her of the Phantasm from a Batman movie she had seen once: moving as though it were floating, wreathed in mist, and only appearing as a black figure. She scooted backwards but it just kept coming closer. She staggered up and was about to run when it finally halted. It reached out a gloved hand.

"Do not be afraid child. I have come to help you." Bridget couldn't decide whether the voice was old or young, a woman's voice, and right now it sounded kind and motherly. Yeah, sure. It also seemed vaguely familiar.

The girl growled at this unfamiliar woman. "Why should I believe that? Do you think I'm stupid to fall for that trick?"

The mysterious woman in response lowered the hood of the dark cloak she was wearing. It revealed a strangely beautiful face with sweeping black hair over a stern yet sympathetic countanence.

"Why should you believe a stranger with a frightening appearance? Because I can help you where no one else can. You know of what I speak."

Bridget did. The wave of black power was contained at the back of her mind for now, in this lady's presence, but she knew that as soon as she left it would rush out again in full force, ready to claim its next victim. She had tried desperately to rebuild the mental wall that the professor had unwittingly broken, but it wouldn't return to her. It had been the only thing holding her powers back and she didn't know how to replace it. She doubted any telepath did. What was so special about this woman?

"How can you help me when even the most powerful telepath in the world couldn't, if you know so much?"

The woman smirked as if it was silly she had to ask such a question. "Because I am no telepath my girl. I am a sorceress, much like one Agatha Harkness whom you might of heard of. I can help you in ways that no mutant can, give you the control you require simply to be around others without killing them. Your powers are truly formidable, and without control you cannot be close to another without inflicting you terror upon them."

Bridget hung her head and the woman laid a long fingered hand on her shoulder. "I can understand the pain you are experiencing my child, and it need not be this way. I can help you, so you can be around your friends, your teachers, the man you look up to as a brother. Maybe even a boy who is something more?"

Hazel eyes darted up and widened. How could she possibly know about _that_? The woman smiled but said nothing.

The hazel eyes welled with tears. "Can you really…"

"Yes I can dear. All you must do is trust me." The woman held her hand out.

Bridget thought. She feared this woman, but if she didn't want to become a living, walking nightmare she had to trust her. Her thoughts flew to those she held dear.

"_I'm doing this for you."_ The girl tentatively reached out and took the woman's hand. It was cool and felt as smooth as glass. The woman smiled maternally and led her towards the wall. Bridget took a deep breath as she felt cold darkness wrap snake-like around her before the two vanished from the alleyway.

-.-.-.-.-.-

_Two days later_

The mansion was gripped in gloom. They had searched unrelentingly for their missing teammate for the past two days she had been gone, but all they had turned up was that she had left at the bus station. Even now Wolverine, Cyclops, Biofuse, and Nightcrawler were out and checking the different routes she might have taken and the various stops. At least it hadn't rained so their might still be a trace of scent for Wolverine to follow somewhere.

Shadowcat and Beast were on the computers searching for any trace of her, Jean and the professor were on Cerebro almost 24/7 and Jon and Tsarina were trying to track down Leo Akriditis in case Bridget had returned there. Nowhere they looked could they find her. She had vanished with hardly a trace.

The common room was unnaturally quiet. Dala sat miserably on the couch not paying attention at all to the movie that was playing. She had tried harder than anyone to find her best friend, but the professor had ordered that she stay and rest today. How could she rest when worry for her friend was knawing at her like termites?

The couch bounced a little and Alex Rogers sat down next to her.

"I-I'm sorry about Bridget. We will find her. We wouldn't be X-men if we didn't do our absolute best to get her back."

She smiled sadly at him. "Thank you Alex. It is good to know we have such teammates to stick up for us."

He grinned back when the phone rang. Alison picked it up.

"Hello, Xavier Institute. Yes? Oh alright. Alex, it's for you." She held out the receiver and he took it, wondering who would be calling him.

"Hello. Dad?" He looked confused and asked a hushed question. The two girls turned their attention away until he bolted up from the couch to stand at his full and considerable height. His face was shell shocked.

"What do you mean? But…" he trailed off and his face grew horrified.

"Madelyn?" the voice on the other end of the phone spoke for a little while longer before the hang up tone sounded. Alex still stood there, dumbfounded.

"Alex?" Dalaja stood up and touched his arm. "What is wrong?"

He made a despairing choking noise in the back of his throat before turning to them. "Maddie. My little sister's gone missing."

**There's the first bit. It's the shortest of the arc. There will be four to five parts to it depending on how long I stretch it. This one is pretty short compared to the other ones coming up. Again, sorry for the huge delay but I'm back in the game. Hope you enjoyed.**


	14. Omen of the Ravens: Part II

**Omen of the Ravens: Part II**

_"This is crucially important." The voice hissed to the many black cloaked figures that stood before their leader. "If this cannot be accomplished, then our longtime goal that we have strove for many years to achieve will be obsolete. There can be no failure."_

_"There will be no failure." The many voices whispered back like trees in a wind. Their purpose was to fulfill the wishes of their leader, and that was what they would do. It was their fate._

**XXXXXX**

The underground doors to the mansion hissed open and the vehicle rolled in. Scott, the Professor, and several of the new students stared as the jeep pulled to a stop. Alex clambered from the driver's seat. From the dullness in his eyes and the drooping of his shoulders they knew that nothing had come from the search for his little sister.

He shuffled over to them. His green eyes had dark circles under them and he looked pale.

"Nothing. What about…" The others shook their heads. In the two weeks he had been gone in Buffalo they hadn't found Bridget.

Scott did put in one thing. "Wolverine did find one clue in River Central. She got off the bus at that point and wandered into an alley, but then the scent simply vanished. He couldn't smell anyone else there and we don't have any more clues."

Alex nodded dejectedly. Bridget wasn't a particularly good friend of his but he did like the girl. That on top of losing his sister was weighing him down inside. The gloomy group ascended into the higher levels of the mansion.

The whole place was quiet. Nothing like this had ever happened before, where someone had vanished with absolutely no trace. Dala and Nikolai especially felt the absence of their friend but they tried to maintain a regular schedule.

Later that night David, Nikolai, and Dala sat around the table playing absentmindedly with their soup. All were thinking. David was trying to map out the exact emotional pattern he had felt from Bridget the night she had vanished. If he could remember exactly what she had been feeling then it might give him a clue. Even emotions could leave a trail.

After a long time of silence he looked up at the other two. They were so forlorn. It needed to stop.

"I think we should go and look at where Logan found her scent," David proposed. "Maybe he couldn't find anything, but maybe our powers can help figure something out."

Dala and Nik thought about it. "I do not think the professor would let us," Dala declared. "It is getting dark out and we are not allowed out after dark anymore what with the mutant hysteria."

David shrugged. He was still quiet, but life as an X-man was training him to be bolder. "They don't need to know. I have a plan that'll give us a head start. Besides, this is for Bridget after all, our friend and teammate. We owe it to her to find her."

His argument needed nothing more than that.

**XXXXXX**

An hour later, a nondescript car pulled out of one of the lower gates from the tunnels beneath the mansion. Biofuse concentrated on the dark road ahead. They should have at the least an hour and a half before they were missed. He and David had done a decent job of rigging the Danger Room to project holograms of the three of them in a battle simulation. With any luck, one of the sharper teachers like Jean or Logan wouldn't notice their ruse until they had reached their destination.

They rumbled through the streets of Bayville. Pulling up at a red light they stopped beside an expensive car carrying a number of seniors from the high school. The mutants turned their faces away, hoping that they wouldn't be recognized. No such luck.

"Hey, those are some of the muties showing their faces in public again."

The light turned green and Biofuse gunned the engine, ripping away. Unfortunately, the humans had decided that it was the perfect night to harass mutants. The car followed them.

Dala growled in frustration as she watched the flashy convertible gaining on them. "Stupid humans. Do they not have anything better to do?"

David rolled his eyes in agreement. "The only thing we can do about it is lose them. Try that alley Nik, I'm sure they can't drive like you can."

Nik smirked at the compliment. "My pleasure." He yanked the wheel around and the car slid into a narrow and dark opening. However they came to an abrupt halt when the saw the brick wall blocking their way.

"Perkele!" David swore in Finnish, as he had a habit of doing when he was tempted to cuss. Lights fell on them as the pursuing vehicle blocked their only escape.

The bullies stepped out of car. David groaned when he recognized one of them as the teen who had caused him to lose control several months ago in the school yard. The fury on this particular jerk's face meant he recognized him as well. He growled.

"It's time you pay mutie. I won't wait for you to pull out your mutant tricks, I'll just put your lights out good and fast this time." The group advanced and the young mutants prepared to fight without powers.

Before the first blow fell, the light in the alley from the headlights quivered. It took them a moment to realize where they knew that effect, but when they did David, Dala, and Nik weren't sure whether to be grateful or worried.

The shadows reared on the brick walls to either side. The shape of a massive raven was plastered on the hard surface for a moment before it peeled away and soared at the aggressors.

The human teenagers panicked and ran as the shadow bird loomed over them. Wings of darkness wrapped around them and tripped them up. The tendrils twined up and began to cover their mouths and noses. Frantic screams were muffled as the shadows choked back the noise.

Dala whirled about, trying to spot the shadow master. "Wraith, stop it! Just let them go, they've learned their lesson."

The tall figure melted out of the shadows. "I don't think they have, but for now I'll respect your request." He unclenched his fists and the shadows slackened and jumped back into place. He strode over to the where the humans were sprawled on the concrete and bent over them. His dark eyes gleamed as he softly growled at them, like a lion preparing to pounce.

"I would run if I were you." The shadows shivered again. With yelps of terror the humans scrambled up and fled as fast as they could, not even bothering to get in the car. The slapping of their footsteps echoed away into silence.

With a sadistic smirk Emilian turned towards the three mutants. "You X-men need to learn that force is the only thing that will keep those prejudiced things in line."

With a stony face and equally stony tone, Nikolai responded. "Maybe, but it's not right. We want them to know we are peaceful, not murderous."

"Some of us maybe. Now, what would three little X-men be doing so far from the nest?" Lian asked as he leaned up against the wall of the alley, that infernal sneer still in place. He seemed to be in a good mood, he never talked so much or showed emotion like that normally.

Dalaja scowled. She always felt jittery around the creepy teen and she would rather they continue their former mission as soon as possible. They were wasting time and the sooner they got away from Wraith the better.

David on the other hand could sense every emotion wavering off of the Romanian mutant. Of course there was contempt and leftover anger from terrorizing the humans, but there was a hint of genuine curiosity. David wondered whether they might be able to gain his help in their endeavor. He stepped forward and explained.

"We're looking for our friend. One of our teammates, Bridget, went missing two weeks ago. She lost control of her powers that night and ran off. It's just we haven't heard anything from her and we don't know what's happened to her. Wolverine tried to track her and only caught a part of her scent out in River Central. We're going to try and find clues."

Emilian raised an eyebrow and stared. "Interesting. I guess the life of a hero is not suited to everyone is it?"

Dalaja opened her mouth to snap, but David ran over her before she could speak. "Could you help us? If she had left the X-men because she didn't like it anymore we would have respected her wishes, but she didn't leave any notice. Could you help us find her, if only to put our minds at rest? She's our friend."

The sincere plea didn't have an outward effect on Emilian, but David could detect the wheels turning in his head as he pondered the idea. The dark eyes darted back to Rapport for a moment as he asked, "Was she the little blonde one, the one causing all the fuss at that school that day?"

"That wasn't her fault," growled Nikolai quietly, but he didn't react beyond that. David nodded.

"Yes, it was. Please, we don't know what happened and maybe our powers can detect her where Wolverine and Professor X couldn't."

Another long pause ensued. In Emilian's mind, he was weighing two opposing options. On one hand, what did he care if an X-man disappeared? He was barely connected with the Brotherhood, so why this girl he had met once? Emilian made a point never to be involved unless it directly affected him. He had taught himself long ago, through many harsh experiences, that the one person he could fully trust in this world for his own safety was himself. He shouldn't be responsible for the troubles of the world. Now understand, he wasn't completely detached, but he just knew where the priorities lay when it came to preserving his own neck, or otherwise snapping the necks of those who ran afoul of him. Yet, on the other hand, his curiosity was peaked. Something he had never mentioned for reasons of his own was an interest in this Bridget girl. The one day they had met he had sensed something powerful inside of her, much like himself. They might live in the light and act like other people, to an extent at least, but he and the girl were both creatures of the night; shadows were their allies, and mystery wrapped in fear was their weapon of choice. Perhaps now was the time to appease his half-acknowledged wonderings.

The empathy boy was still watching him, no doubt scoping out his emotions for his answer. He smirked; the kid had a lot to learn yet.

David was surprised by the faint chuckle that rumbled from the older teen, but he was utterly shocked by his answer.

"I will help you."

**XXXXXX**

The foursome of mutants stood outside of the alley in River Central. Only a few cars trundled by on the street, their drivers too eager to get home from their long days to pay any attention to the tense group frozen at the gaping black hole. Well, the X-men were frozen, while Wraith floated forward into the darkness with as much ease as walking down a hallway. Casting glances at each other, the X-men followed the Brotherhood boy until they were swallowed in shadow.

It was a long alleyway, with thick clouds promising more snow obscuring the moon. David felt his way along with his empathy, Dala and Nikolai close behind him. They found Wraith crouched at the wall, running his long, pale fingers over the filthy bricks. His dark eyes were narrowed, the irises seeming to have spread until the resembled perfect onyxes.

"Stop," David held out his hand for his other two companions. He could feel the pure concentration rolling off of the young man, and he didn't want to break it. Whether he was on to something or not, he shouldn't be disturbed. To occupy himself, David threw out his empathy, reaching to the very end of the alley. He had discovered that he could faintly detect lingering emotions, much like how Wolverine could smell old scents. It was difficult, but he threw all of his effort into it.

Rapport gasped silently. He could feel her; not her, but her old emotions that lingered like dried blood on the gloomy walls. The despair bit at him until he had to withdraw slightly to keep in control. He skimmed through what Bridget had felt two weeks ago, as faint as the traces were. There was hopelessness, anger, fear, indecision, and weariness. And then came something strange. David could detect a mix of fright, suspicion, and oddly, a desperate hope. What could have caused that? He scanned about for any other empathic signatures, but found only Bridget's, aside from his current companions.

He relaxed, puzzling over his discoveries. While Nikolai silently prowled the alley for clues, Dalaja came over to him.

"My powers aren't much use here. Can you sense anything?"

David stared down to the end of the alley. "I can detect her empathic pattern. It's a little strange, but it won't help us find her without more information." Dala sighed sadly but nodded. David laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, before their eyes cut to Emilian who had suddenly stood as straight as a ramrod. The three X-trainees hurried toward him, their eyes widened as they waited for his news.

Emilian's eyes sparkled with a grim light, but he seemed in his element. They hadn't seen him at night before, and he seemed a whole other person. He stood taller, instead of being slightly hunched as usual, and energy of a rather sinister kind was pulsing from him. He began by asking them of their own discoveries. David mentioned Bridget's strange emotional pattern, but nothing could be determined beyond that. The gleam in Wraith's eyes increased.

"That isn't the only thing to be found. From what I can tell, Bridget wasn't the only person in this alley that night." He ignored the stupefied expressions on their faces as he continued.

"It's difficult to detect, but there is definitely an umbra kinetic signature here." They stared blankly. Wraith growled and elaborated the term.

"Much like your empathic senses Rapport, I can detect lingering traces of shadow manipulation. Shadow travel leaves the most powerful signature."

"How could it?" questioned Biofuse.

"Shadow travel is generated when you break fragments of darkness into a pure concentration of no light whatsoever. People with abilities over umbrakinesis can transform themselves to be compatible with that absolute blackness, therefore allowing shadow travel. To us, we can distinguish the opening we've created, whether it was opened by ourselves or by another shadow traveler. We are drawn to darkness, and shadow portals leave the greatest imprint."

Nikolai understood it. "So you're saying that another being with the ability to shadow travel like yourself was here with Bridget the night she disappeared."

"Precisely."

"Then it was a mutant with Bridget?" Dala inquired. "But how could Wolverine not find a scent, or Rapport an empathetic signal?"

Emilian's face seemed even more grim than normal. "I'm not positively sure it is a mutant at all. I myself am a relatively powerful umbrakinetic, but the strength of this portal was, to be frank, astronomical. If it was a mutant, it would have had to have been beyond Omega level to create a portal this strong."

Ominous silence spread as they considered this. Omega level was already a dangerous level of power in mutants, so what could be so strong that it even surpassed Omega class? Could a mutant even handle that amount of power?

"I think we should return and tell the Professor about all of this," Dala murmured. "They must surely know we're gone by now."

She turned to Emilian, not attempting to hide the hope she was supporting. "Could you come back with us, to explain about the shadow portal?"

"I do not see how you are incapable of transmitting the message yourselves, but since I am curious about this mystery as well I will return with you and explain." He tried to ignore the wide grin that crossed Dalaja's face. He didn't particularly like where his curiosity was leading him, but what else did he have to do?

The car ride back was silent and understandably tense. The X-trainees resisted the impulse to let out a relieved breath as they pulled up to the institute's gates. At this time of the night there wouldn't be any haters loitering about, so they just entered the standard way.

As they pulled the car up to the front doors they could hear a flurry of noise coming from inside.

"What's going on?" David asked to no one. They all shrugged, exiting the car to climb the front steps to the door.

The moment they entered they were nearly bowled over by Peyton, her eyes wide. Relief washed over her face and she pounced on them, dragging them further inside.

"Oh my God, we were so worried! We thought it had happened to you too!"

"What's going on?" Nikolai attempted to ask, but they were being towed too quickly by the babbling technopath. Emilian trailed behind unseen.

Peyton burst through the doors of the Professor's office. "Professor! Dala, Nik, and David are back!"

The office contained the senior X-men, the entire teacher staff, and shockingly, the entire Brotherhood apart from Emilian. They had all been startled by Peyton's hasty entrance, but were quickly recovering.

With a fearsome growl, Wolverine stalked toward the three wayward new recruits, a thundercloud building on his expression.

"Where the _hell_ have you three been? Do you have any idea what you did by disappearing without leaving a notice?" The subjects of his anger shrank before his reprimanding bark. "We thought we'd lost you all as well!"

"What do you mean?" David asked.

The room went quieter and they all turned to the Professor. He sighed, his expression worn.

"While you three were gone, wherever you were, Aquamarine has also disappeared." The three froze, shocked by the news.

"And that isn't all," the Professor continued. "The Brotherhood came to us, saying that Wanda Maximoff has also vanished. The situations were the same as Bridget and Alex's sister's cases: no notice, and no scent or trace to be found."

"So you three better have one damn good reason for sneaking off like that and making us think you disappeared too," Logan snarled at them. They knew it was just the underlying protectiveness and affection he had for all of his students making him so angry, but it was still hard to bear without flinching.

Nikolai was the first to speak. "We snuck out to look for Bridget. We did not believe you would have allowed us otherwise."

"Damn right we wouldn't have! I should toss your newbie rears into the Danger Room for a solid week as punishment."

"I would agree with you," spoke a silkily dark voice from the corner, "if the search had been fruitless."

"Emilian!" Azula cried in surprise, not having noticed him skulking in the corner. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that we were able to discover something relating to these disappearances," he stated in an almost bored tone.

The ring of Wolverine's claws coming out was clearly heard. "Then you better start talkin' bub."

Emilian's eyes appraised the shorter but stronger man, unimpressed. But he did begin to explain about the portal signature he had detected, as well as Rapport's odd take on Bridget's emotional pattern. Once they had finished, the room lay quiet in deep thought.

Scott spoke first. "So someone took Bridget?" The room darkened at the thought of kidnapping. But Rogue brought up another point.

"From Bridget's empathetic pattern though, it sounds like she went with whoever it was willingly." David shrugged.

"Most likely, but there could be other explanations."

"Maybe this same person is behind Wanda's and Aqua's disappearances as well," Jean surmised.

The Professor nodded, the pieces of this mystery beginning to make some sense at last. He turned to Emilian.

"Could you tell whether shadow portals were involved in the girls' disappearances?"

He nodded. "I can detect them. But first I would need to know where the girls were last seen before they disappeared." His eyes were gleaming. He seemed excited by the possibility of using his powers in a hunt.

Peyton, who had remained in the office to listen in, spoke up. "Aqua had just finished a DR workout and was coming up to our room to take a nap. As far as I know, I was the last one to see her before she vanished."

"And Wanda was out in the backyard practicing her powers," Pietro jumped in. "We knew something was wrong when she never came inside."

Emilian nodded. "I should be able to detect portals in those places, if indeed they vanished under the same circumstance as your Bridget. If the portals are there, I might even be able to reopen the previously created shadow passage and slip through. It might lead me to where the girls are. The only problem is the distance between the two locations. The older the portals are, the harder they are to reopen and travel through. I'll need to verify that they are both from the same source and lead to the same location before I travel through, so the time window will be very slim."

As he finished, Rogue jumped from the chair. "If I borrowed your powers could I check one portal while you check the other?"

He considered the offer for a moment before relenting. "I suppose it could work, but since you are inexperienced in relation to the shadow dimension we will need to keep in contact so I can instruct you on what to look for."

She nodded, and everyone watched as she slid a glove off and tapped one of his long, pale fingers he held out to her.

Rogue gasped as a wave of darkness flowed over her eyes before the world reemerged, completely changed. The colors she was used to had faded out, while the shadows in the room stood out, looking more solid than the people and objects filling the room. She touched the fingers of her left hand to the palm of her right, noting how cold her skin had become.

"Whoa. Do you always see things like that?" He nodded.

"Wait until you see the night outside through my eyes," he smirked vaguely, as if watching a child be fascinated by the most insignificant thing.

"Now I will travel to the Brotherhood house, and you shall investigate your teammate's quarters." With that, he faded back through the wall shadows and disappeared.

The moment he was gone the room came to life, driven by a new hope for finding their missing members. The Brotherhood left to follow Emilian back to their home, while the senior X-men and Peyton followed Rogue as she ascended to the third floor towards Aqua's room.

The room looked the same as always. At least it did to everyone but Rogue. She gasped, staring at the gaping black hole in the wall that only she could see. All the shadows in the room were drifting in smoky strands towards the hole, spiraling in slow-moving funnel clouds into the yawning blackness.

She jumped when she heard Kitty's cell phone begin ringing, the caller ID displaying Lance's number. Kitty opened it before holding it out to Rogue.

"It's Emilian."

Rogue snagged it. "I found it."

"Obviously. It is difficult to miss a swirling hole in the wall, is it not?"

"Oh, shut it," she growled back. "What do I do now?"

"Go through it. If we come out in the same place then we are on the right track."

Rogue glanced apprehensively at the swirling portal. She had absolutely no desire to enter that hole, but she wasn't going to act like a coward while the condescending brotherhood boy was on the other end of the line. She squared her shoulders and muttered a gritty 'got it' before ending the call.

"What did he say?" Scott asked the moment she lowered the phone.

"He says t' go through it."

"Go through vhat?" Kurt asked, looking around in confusion. Rogue ignored him as she walked toward the wall. They all jumped when snakes of darkness shot out of the wall, wrapped around an unperturbed Rogue, and vanished with her through the wall. They all stared with gaping mouths at where she had been standing mere seconds ago, now vanished into thin air.

**XXXXXX**

The first thing she felt out of the portal was the crunch of gravel beneath her as she collapsed unceremoniously to the ground. Rogue curled into the fetal position and shivered, not moving for several minutes until the frigid cold subsided. As she had neared the end of the shadow passage, the powers she had absorbed from Wraith had begun to fade. The cold of the shadow dimension had begun to grip her, and it was a struggle to keep from being trapped there. By the time she had forced her way out of the portal, she was exhausted by the effort.

At last she was able to haul herself up and to stand, knees still on the somewhat wobbly side. Rubbing her arms to regain some warmth, she peered around the gravel-covered yard. It looked oddly familiar. Then she gave herself a mental smack. The warehouse that seemed deserted but was too pristine to be so looked just like Magneto's old base. The vague memories she had of the night she had come there under Mesmero's control were enough to confirm the similarities.

The faint crunch of approaching footsteps had her whirling around and crouching in battle stance.

"It seems the portals did lead to the same location. But the question is, why did they lead us here?"

"Maybe Magneto's kidnappin' 'em. Wouldn't be the first time," she hissed in annoyance, remembering the Asteroid M incident.

Wraith shook his head as he began to walk across the lot, his long black coat flapping against his calves. "Magneto is not powerful enough for this kind of work. We will investigate. If you wish, you may call your team and let them know our location."

Rogue nodded. She had been out searching for Aqua before the new recruits returned with their clues, and she was already in her black and green spandex battle uniform. She clicked a hidden button on her belt so they would be able to track her location. Then she prowled with catlike stealth after Wraith.

The place seemed fairly empty, but both were smart enough not to be deceived by appearances. They slunk between the buildings and dormant machinery, searching for signs of either more portals or Magneto and his Acolytes.

Emilian entered a warehouse to check it out, and Rogue was about to follow when her com-link beeped quietly.

"How close are ya?" she asked, peering around for any movement.

"Only a couple minutes out Stripes. Find anything?"

"Not ye…" she stopped when Wraith emerged, his eyes gleaming and his jaw clenched. "What is it?"

He said nothing, merely held out a bare hand to her. Obligingly she tapped it and followed where he pointed into the warehouse.

Rogue gulped, nearly dropping the com-link. Inside the shadowy warehouse were dozens of portals, all pulsing darkness and menacing. They were positively everywhere.

"How are there so many?"

"I do not know," Wraith growled, "but how is not the most important thing right now. These are exit portals, not entrances. Whoever came through these is here. These portals are not half an hour old."

"You are correct," hissed a sibilant voice behind them. The two teens whirled about. Blocking the entrance was a lone figure. They were draped in a long black cloak and deep hood, but underneath the folds of the cloak could be seen gleaming black body armor that shifted and slid with movement like a snake skin. The face of the figure was covered by a creepy mask in the shape of a black bird's beak, eyes glinting through the eye slits.

Rogue shifted, prepared to fight. "Now ya'll better tell us what's goin' on here if ya want outta here in one piece."

The bird figure cocked its head. "I do not believe you are in the position to say as such." As it spoke, pieces of the darkness seemed to detach from the walls and floor, filing out to stand in a straight horizontal line, shoulder to shoulder with their spokesperson. Soon, Emilian and Rogue were outnumbered at nearly twenty to one. They both prepared to fight for their lives.

The leader raised a hand, but instead of ordering the attack, it gestured to more than half its force. "Search out and find Magneto and his followers. Spare only those I have commanded."

Rogue's eyes widened. These creepies were here to take out Magneto?

But then the leader turned back to them and gestured to the remaining ten that hadn't left to seek out Magneto. "Destroy the boy, but take the girl and bring her to me," the leader hissed, pointing a claw-like finger at the X-Man and Brotherhood boy.

With a united shriek that made the hairs on Rogue's neck rise, the ten black clad minions surged forward. The one in the lead vanished in a cloud of smoke and reappeared in front of them. Only a quick block saved Rogue from having her throat slashed by gloves enhanced with black-painted steel talons on the tips.

"_They're mutants for sure,"_ she thought as she sent the teleporter flying with a snapping kick to the ribs. She backed up against Emilian, who was wreathed in a cutting vortex of solid shadows. The two tried to fend off the pressing circle of masked mutants, but they would soon be overwhelmed.

Suddenly a pair of arms that were stronger than any normal human's, grabbed at her and tried to drag her away. She lashed out and caught her would-be kidnapper under the chin with a strong uppercut, knocking it away.

Emilian backed her up again. He growled, shaking blood from his eyes where the talon-enforced gloves had clipped his forehead. "Your X-Men had better get here soon," he growled. "Until then, I can buy us some time." He suddenly grasped her arm and Rogue found herself flying through the black tunnel again.

She landed with a thump on her back on gravel again, several hundred yards from the warehouse.

Wraith didn't give her much chance to regain her breath, yanking her to her feet and setting off at a weaving run that she tried to follow. It was about then they heard the roar of the jet overhead.

**XXXXXX**

The X-men could see Wraith and Rogue bolting across the courtyard, as well as the leaping shadows pursuing them. Wolverine didn't even wait for the jet to land, instead leaping from the ramp and falling twenty feet to the ground.

Just as he landed, he saw one of the shadowy pursuers take a flying leap off of an old conveyor belt and tackle Rogue to the ground. He roared and charged, but with a burst of smoke both the attacker and his shrieking surrogate daughter vanished.

With an even greater howl of rage he smashed into the lithe figure of the second attacker. The masked fighter flipped backwards with the momentum. Before he could lunge again, a deafening scream erupted from the mouth slit of the mask. Wolverine, along with the other X-men who had by this time left the jet, collapsed. All, except one.

Copycat, whose deafness left the screamer's power useless, barreled into them while raining biting punches. The masked mutant tried to duck and dodge, but Copycat mirrored the style, backing the screamer into the corner and increasing the speed of her vicious attack.

With the screamer thus occupied, the rest of the team and Brotherhood were able to fight the remaining masked mutants. For a few minutes energy blasts, rocking earth, and battle cries shuddered around the lot.

Just as it seemed the X-men and Brotherhood had won, the teleporter that had taken Rogue reappeared and disappeared once more with its companions. The only enemy left was the screamer, who Copycat had successfully beaten into submission. Xavier telepathically contacted them from where he stayed in the Blackbird. _"Hank, bring the unconscious one into the jet. I will keep them subdued until you return."_

Hank complied with the orders, as Wolverine turned on Wraith.

"What's going on and where did they take Rogue?"

Wraith ignored the growl and set off across the yard, beckoning for them to follow.

"There is no time to explain it all. We must find Magneto and the Acolytes. These mutants are here to kill them."

**XXXXXX**

Underground in the subbasements of the factory, the large group of Acolytes either moved about on their leader's orders or lounged about and entertained themselves as they would.

Suddenly, the pink-haired girl who had detected the X-men's presence during their last encounter raised her head, her gaze darting around with head cocked. The man sitting beside her on the couch noticed her behavior and sat up.

"What're you sensing Scanner?"

"I-I don't know. But whatever it is, it's close. And getting closer very fast."

Nightmarish shrieks erupted above them. The Acolytes all looked up in time to see scores of black figures in bird masks leaping down from the rafters on top of them.

Cries went up as an all-out battle ensued. The Acolytes, though experienced, were caught completely off guard and in a tight space. They lashed out wildly at the deadly black blurs, but couldn't seem to catch them.

Another crash was heard, heralded by a beam of bright red plasma energy.

"For now, we're on the Acolytes' side. Take down the masked mutants, but just try to subdue them." The orders thus acknowledged, the teenage mutants leapt down into the seething fray.

Burrowing towards the center, Dynamo was backed by his now-official wingman Reflect, and Proxy. With a yell a blast of golden energy, larger than he normally made, seared from his hands, plowing through the mass of invaders.

"How many of them are there?" Reflect roared, knocking one away that had tried to claw him in the back. Dynamo knew what he meant. He couldn't see an end to the flood of bird-masked mutants.

He suddenly gasped as he felt four razor-sharp points rip through his side, warm wetness beginning to soak his uniform. He knew it would shortly heal, but it still hurt and crippled his fighting style.

He turned to face another of the cloaked attackers. This one was actually quite small and slim, at least a foot shorter than himself, but from the battle-rage snarling coming from beneath the mask and from the blood dripping from its talon tips, he knew this fighter was not one to be underestimated.

He squared off. "You wanna tangle?" he taunted, beckoning it forward with a finger. The figure screamed with both anger and murderous delight and flew at him, talons whirling. Dynamo dodged its first swipe, kicking out and knocking it away. It was back up on its feet within seconds and was charging him again. He tried to jump aside again but his opponent was ready for it, feinting sideways and lashing out at him. Using his energy to increase his speed, his hands darted up and caught its wrists before the talons could sink into his skull.

"It's not going to be that easy," he grunted, yanking the arms up until his opponent dangled off of the ground. He charged up one fist ready to knock his enemy across the room.

Another snarl of rage escaped the hidden lips, until it spat words. "I will kill you!"

In shock, Dynamo dropped the mutant while still holding its wrists, his green eyes wide in horror. Not at what the mutant had said, but how familiar that voice was.

"No…no, it can't be true," he muttered.

The mutant ripped away from his grip, and with the jerk of movement, the hood and mask slid down to reveal the mutant's face. Wavy strawberry blonde hair tumbled loose around a freckled face, large green eyes identical to his own glaring murderously back at him.

"Maddie," he whispered, staring dumbstruck at his younger sister. She ignored him, sweeping in for a killing blow. A deep roar from the still fighting fray distracted her for just a moment, which gave Wolverine all the time he needed to leap at her, claws extended.

"NOOO!" Alex screamed, but it was too late. The adamantium blades sank irreparably deep into Madelyn Roger's chest. She gurgled, blood spurting from between her lips before she collapsed.

"No, no, no!" he kept repeating as he crawled over to her twitching form, collecting the younger girl in his arms. "Maddie, please don't die!"

While tears leaked from his eyes, he realized as he looked around that the other missing girls were there. A blue light wreathed around the room, one willowy figure especially intent on taking down Magneto who hovered over the battle: the Scarlet Witch. Fire leapt over the crowd, the sign of Elementress. He could even see a newly added recruit, the only one fighting without gloves and dropping Acolytes faster than any other with just a touch.

He looked down at his younger sister, expecting to see the light fading from her mint-colored eyes. Instead, he was met with a crippling hook to the jaw as she leapt up again. He stared dazedly at her, before seeing that the six stab wounds in her chest had shut in the span of only a few seconds. She glared fiercely before vanishing back into the heaving throng.

"Maddie!" he called, staggering to his feet. Suddenly a voice hissed through the air with no discernible source.

"_Enough Ravens!"_ The fighting eased for a moment before resuming, but now the masked mutant girls were retreating, oozing back into the shadows. Dynamo could see several of them dragging unconscious Acolytes. His breath caught in his throat as he saw Magma and Sparks, both knocked out, being taken with them as well.

"Don't let them get away!" Scott cried, his team following in a charge.

One of the smaller figures at the rear of the 'Ravens' halted and turned, unflinching at the line of X-Men, brotherhood, and Acolytes charging her. She raised her right arm, holding her hand out in their direction.

They all screamed in terror and pain, collapsing to the ground holding their heads. Before them all were their worst fears come alive. Spiders the size of elephants reared up, the floor crumbled around them revealing caverns falling into blackness, men in lab coats, Nazis and their gas chambers, everything that could be considered a fear sprang up into existence. The Raven girl herself seemed to grow, wrapping herself in shadow until she towered over them, her eyes shining with an evil light.

Wraith, twitching on the ground under his abusive father's phantom blows, could at least tell it was an illusion, despite the pain and fear reawakened in his limbs and heart. A fraction of him had the awareness to be impressed, even awed, at Dread's terrible and magnificent power.

Then, in a flash of blackness, the Ravens were gone, taking the nightmare images with them. They all panted for breath, exhaustion and residual terror making their limbs shake.

Oceana, curled on the floor and trying to fight back the horror of her claustrophobia, choked with tears.

"Oh Bridget, what have they done to you?"

_**End Part II**_

**A/N: I'M BAAACKK! Well, this story is back. Yes, I know it's been months since an update, but my inspiration kinda died out for this story for a while. Thankfully, some prompting from readers helped to get me going again. **

**After this arc is over, I don't have any solid plot for what comes next in the story until the second arc, so if you have any ideas for this story please help me out. That hiatus was terrible.**

**Next update: we discover the mysteries behind these Ravens and their leader. How will the X-Men rescue their own? Stay tuned.**


	15. Omen of the Ravens: Part III

**Omen of the Ravens: Part III**

With a moan of pain, Barricade heaved himself to his feet. He was still shaky from Dread's fearsome attack, but only the first blast of her power had been able to hurt him before his mental shield kicked in full gear. Because of it, he was far less affected than most of the others.

Beside him, Black Diamond was already standing, peering around. She didn't appear very affected by the fear powers either, even less so than himself.

"How do you do that?" he asked. "How does she have so little power over you? The same thing happened the night she disappeared."

She turned to him, her eyes gleaming topaz. "My powers make it a little dangerous for telepaths to enter my mind, since my energy powers can feed unconsciously off of psychic energy. My mother, who is a telepath herself, helped to erect some barriers in my mind before I came to school, to make sure there were no accidents. They basically just repel the psychic intrusion with equal force, like jumping on a trampoline. Dread's powers do affect me to an extent, but she is expelled before she can fully put me under her illusions."

Jon nodded. _"At least there is one way to knock back those attacks, in case we have to fight them again. That was horrendous," _he shivered, trying to dispel the nausea in his stomach. He would definitely be sleeping with the light on tonight, even for only a moment of those terrible visions.

Staggering out among the mixed crowd of Acolytes, he searched for his teammates, most of who were already rising and seeking out their fellows.

Jon felt a sharp anguish, realizing again that Aqua wasn't among them. He had been terrified when she was reported missing from the mansion. That was why the terrible image given to him by the evil Dread had been Aqua, lying dead and broken on the floor. He still couldn't quite grasp the anguish that the image had awoken. He shook his head. Aqua was alive, but she was in the control of that hissing voice. All of their girls were, and many more besides.

A white hand gently gripped his arm, and he looked at Tsarina whose face was tenderer than he had ever seen it. He then realized he had been standing and staring blankly at the floor.

"Come along Jon, the others are gathered over there."

He followed her along, joining up with the X-men. When they joined the group, Logan, Scott, and Magneto were trying to speak. Trying, a.k.a. snarling at each other as only testosterone-hyped leaders can.

"Who were these mutants that dared to attack my base, and why were your girls and my daughter with them? It is also odd that you would be here at the same time of this attack," he snapped, his eyes glinting with anger. He was hunched over oddly, as if there was an injury on his left side. None of his Acolytes had escaped injuries, and some weren't even conscious.

Scott, who was cradling a sprained wrist, snapped right back. "We were here to get our teammates back. They've been disappearing over the past two weeks and we were here looking for them. The same thing happened to Wanda that happened to Elementress and Dread. And just now they took three more of our girls, as well as a few of your followers. Do you really think accusing us is greatest the priority here Magneto?"

The Master of Magnetism grew silent, before he spoke again in a quieter tone. "Do you know anything of these mutants? What are their intentions?" Jon couldn't be quite sure, but he thought he caught a hint of concern, maybe even worry, in his tone. He shook his head. The man's daughter, as well as several of his female followers, had been kidnapped by a mysterious entity in a raven mask and this was all he showed for it. No wonder Wanda and Pietro seemed so messed up at their ages.

Scott sighed. "We don't really know much about them. A couple of our younger team members and Wraith from the Brotherhood found shadow portals leading here. When we arrived, one of them had taken Rogue, and Wraith was fighting alone. All he would tell us before we got here was that the Ravens' leader planned to attack you."

Magneto cast his eyes to the dark teenager hovering on the edge of the crowd. "Who is this leader you're talking about?"

"I do not know. All we saw of the leader was an armored and masked figure that commanded them. The only other thing that I could make out about the leader was that it was female by the voice."

They were all suddenly interrupted by a telepathic contact. _"X-Men, I believe we should return to the mansion. I believe that the answers we are searching for can be found with the one Raven we have managed to detain. Magnus, since you are now involved with this matter, both from the attack and because of Wanda, you are invited to hear what we may find."_

As Xavier faded out, the X-Team realized how very exhausted they were. It was well past midnight and the excitement and adrenaline burn from the fight left them almost unable to stand up.

"Come on team," Scott commanded, looking a little dubious about bringing Magneto along, but not protesting the Professor's words. Magneto shared quiet words for a moment with some of his followers, who steadily dispersed, preparing to relocate their base. He then floated over to join the X-Men, sparing his lame side. They all tottered or limped back up through the warehouse and out into the lot where the jet waited.

While they had been fighting snow had begun to fall, coating the gravel lot. The abandoned factory yard didn't seem nearly as menacing as it had earlier, when the partly shrouded moon had cast a ghostly luminescence over the buildings. Now their footsteps were muffled as they trudged to the jet, Magneto preferring to follow behind on his own.

The Professor gazed over all of his students with concern. It had never been an overpowering desire, but it had always remained a deep wish inside that he wasn't paralyzed. It pained him having to stay behind as his charges, hardly old enough as they were, went off to face danger. But he knew that there was nothing to be done; his legs could not be returned to him, and he would only be a hindrance in a full out fight. But he never ceased to worry for his proverbial children, dreading the day that one might never return. He could feel the dismay inside of him upon seeing that not only Rogue, but Magma and Sparks had been taken as well. Nothing had occurred like this since Apocalypse, and Xavier now began to fear that something just as deadly might be brewing.

The engines of the jet whooshed as it took off into the air, muffled groans and sighs the only other sound in the cabin, the solemnity of what was happening stifling the air.

Alex was sitting near the back, his head in his hands. His side still stung; the wounds had healed, but it always left a buzz of phantom pain for several hours afterward.

The sound of heavy feet approaching caused him to look up, meeting Wolverine's blue eyes. The normally gruff man seemed gentler, even caring, more so than Alex had ever seen him.

Logan's gruff voice rumbled, guilt coloring his tone. "This seat taken?" he asked, motioning to the vacant space next to the teen. When Alex shook his head Logan sat down. A tense silence hovered between them for a few moments before Wolverine spoke without looking at him.

"Listen kid, I'm sorry about what happened back there. During the battle my animal side started getting away from me and I lost control." He rubbed his face, looking frustrated. "I should have been watching that, it was dangerous to risk it getting loose. Even if she hadn't been your sister, what I did… if she hadn't had a healing factor I could never have forgiven myself for killing a little girl."

Alex said nothing, so Logan continued. "I understand if ya hate me now, I know I'd hate me, but I want ya to understand that I never meant what I did." Alex was surprised as he realized that Wolverine was searching for conformation. His feral side was something the man never wanted to conform to, and he wanted someone to know that he would never have done what he had willingly.

Logan stood to leave, before Alex stalled him.

"Don't worry Wolverine. I'm not sure if I could have forgiven you if Maddie had died, but as it is, she is alive. And I guess if it hadn't been for you I wouldn't be having this conversation right now; I'd be in a body bag in the back. It's just…" He rubbed his fingers in his eyes. "Watching her fall, seeing her bleed, it scared me more than anything in my life. Even the car crash that gave me my powers never terrified me like seeing that. The only thing I could think was that I couldn't lose her like that."

Logan rested a fatherly hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry kid. And I promise that we'll work our hardest to get her back safe and sound. We'll get 'em all back."

Alex nodded. His face now looked confused and frustrated. "I can't believe she's a mutant," he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to his teacher. "She just seemed so…normal. And Dad didn't tell me she was a mutant when I went to Buffalo when she was reported missing. I don't understand. Maddie and I were always so close; I don't know why she wouldn't tell me something so important, or even enroll at the institute herself. It doesn't make sense," the teen growled, brushing his long blonde hair out of his eyes.

Logan shrugged. "Let's hope the kid in the back will have some answers for us."

At last the backburners fired as they flew through the hidden hanger door behind the waterfall behind the institute. The jet coasted to a stop and the ramp lowered, allowing draggles of exhausted mutants to stagger down to the ground. But even with their exhaustion, worry for their missing friends dominated any need for sleep that their bodies needed. The last to exit the jet were the professor and Beast, who was towing a gurney, where the unconscious Raven screamer was strapped in.

In a matter of minutes the teachers, Magneto, and several select team members were gathered in the med lab where the professor was preparing to wake up the armored girl.

Her mask and hood had been removed, unleashing a thick tangle of orange-red locks of hair tumbling over a pretty face.

Ranging around the room were the senior team and a few select younger members such as Jon, Nikolai, Dala, and Inara, Spark's best friend. They all pretended not to know that the rest of the newer recruits were just on the other side of the wall listening in.

"Now you must all stand back," Xavier said as he rolled closer to the bed where the girl lay. "When she wakes she will most likely be violent and not in her right mind. Be prepared for anything."

They all tensed, preparing for whatever would happen when the girl woke. Xavier concentrated for a moment, fingers set to his temples.

Dark green eyes snapped open, blazing wildly. Though they were prepared for violent reactions, they weren't quite fast enough to catch her as she rocketed up off of the bed, taking a slash at Nightcrawler. They had been smart enough to remove her steel talons, but the wiry girl would undoubtedly possess a killer right hook.

Kurt managed to port just before his jaw was broken, leaving the girl open for Jean to use her telekinesis. The girl was lifted into the air, thrashing and snarling. The telekinetic was placing just enough pressure on her throat to keep her from screaming, but not enough to choke her. Rasping curses were spat out as she tried to free herself. The commotion meant that the new recruits weren't even trying to hide that they were there. They peered through the door openly, watching as their seniors tried to gain control of the situation.

As Jean struggled to hold onto the thrashing Raven troop the professor attempted to break her from the trance she seemed to be held in. His brow furrowed deeply before his eyes opened again, worry clear in his brown eyes.

"I cannot find her inside. All I can find are the artificial emotions and thoughts placed there, most likely by their leader."

"What does this mean Charles?" Magneto inquired, his eyes narrowed as he watched the struggling mutant. "Has the girl's conscious psyche been erased completely?"

Fear for their friends flooded many faces in the room at the possibility that there was no hope in saving their friends. Not all showed this worry though. Gambit looked confused and was shaking his head, while Rapport, from where he stood outside the door staring at the professor as if he didn't quite believe what he was hearing. The others noted the odd expressions.

"Okay Gumbo, what is it you and small fry know that we don't?" asked Logan, cocking an eyebrow.

Gambit still had his thinking face on. He had been furious and worried ever since Rogue had been taken, but now he stood in deep thought, staring at their peeved guest where she still hung in the air. He turned at Wolverine's question.

"Jus' don' know how le professeur can say that when I can feel the girl right now. T'e boy can probably feel the girl even stronger den I can," he said, nodding to his younger teammate.

Rapport nodded, still standing just outside of the infirmary. He winced, rubbing his head. "I don't know how you can't feel it. She's practically screaming at me through her emotions," he said, flinching again as more emotion came pouring his way. Gambit too gritted his teeth at the blast that only the empaths could feel.

Now perplexed, the professor searched even deeper for any trace of the real girl in her mind, perhaps locked in some dark corner. He could find nothing new.

"David," he spoke, motioning the boy forward, "why don't you see if you can find something that we telepaths cannot?"

He looked a little embarrassed to be stepping out in front of everyone, but he did come up to them. He stood nose to nose with the Raven girl, who was now just staring at him hatefully. David stared into her eyes for a moment before his gaze slowly tracked upward until he appeared to be staring at her pumpkin-colored hair.

The teachers and X-Men watched as he reached up and seemed to touch her hair. They were all confused until he grasped something, a glint of gold shining under the ceiling lights.

Without warning, David screamed loudly before dropping the object in his hand, leaping away and nursing his angry red palm, while Gambit held his head and moaned loudly. What looked like an antique hair comb clattered to the ground, glowing a hot crimson. The air around it shimmered with heat.

They had all been startled by David's outcry, but they now sprang into action. Beast leapt over to the injured student, trying to soothe the ugly burn spreading over his hand, while Jean held onto the girl who was struggling even more desperately now.

Magneto wasn't one to stay out of the action. His eyes glowed yellow and he stretched his hand out. Magnetic fields rippled around the gold and pearl comb for a moment before it spit apart in a shower of glinting fragment. Among the new students, Black Diamond cried out and held onto her head.

A sudden wail erupted from the Raven girl before she went limp in the telekinetic shield.

"_Stop!"_ Xavier cried, trying to cease the burst of panicked action in the room. Slowly, the babble of loud voices quieted.

"David, are you alright?"

The young teen stood up shakily with the help of Mr. McCoy. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. When I touched it, it just started burning like a branding iron, and the emotions began screaming again, even louder than before."

A groan caused all their attention to turn to the trapped girl. Slowly, her eyes blinked open and she stared around the room. All of the ferocity had vanished, leaving only weariness and confusion. Jean set her on the bed as she looked around fearfully.

"Who are ye? Where am I?" she asked in a trembling Irish accent, her green eyes wide.

Xavier rolled forward, motioning the others backward into the corners of the room. They didn't want to startle her too much. His face was kind as he made a stop at her bedside.

"There's no need to be afraid my dear. You are at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, in Bayville New York. You have recently been through a trying ordeal and we brought you here to help you recover, and perhaps find out more about what you've been through."

She blinked. "I-I don't know what I've been through. The last thing I remember was sitting in my favorite tree out back o' the house. I…oh lord; was tha' me?" Her eyes had grown distant for a moment, before horror crept over her features. She looked like she was watching a horror movie in her own mind. Then her head dropped into her hands and she choked on a sob.

"I can see it now, all o' it. How could I do it?" she wept quietly.

The professor's face drew in sympathy, the others remaining silent in the shadows. "We know you must have endured some dark things during your ordeal. But for now you must rest and collect yourself. Don't worry, you are safe here." And she would be. This girl wouldn't be taken back to whatever she had been through if the X-Men had anything to say about it. "First, may I know your name?"

The girl looked up, her eyes red and nose sniffling. "Th-Theresa Cassidy sir," she whispered softly. Then she shivered. "But _She_ called me Siryn."

No words were said, but they were all thinking the same thing as Theresa Cassidy began to drift into an exhausted sleep. _Who_ was _She_?

**XXXXXX**

The early morning the next day found the institute already awake, waiting to see if Siryn would be willing to speak. They loitered around the rec room and kitchen, waiting to see if the day would reveal anything new. The Brotherhood was remaining in the mansion for the time being, no one believing it very safe for them to return to the boarding house, including the Brotherhood themselves. After all, after Magneto, who knew who the Ravens would target next? Magneto had also remained, speaking with Charles on the matter until nearly sunrise. Now the two were closeted in Xavier's office, no doubt once again going over these newest revelations.

A small group sat in the breakfast nook, sipping warm drinks after the long and cold night they had had. Shiloh was swilling her hot cocoa around, tapping her foot in impatience. She was one of the few not injured in some way or another from the fight, her mutation returning her body to its prime condition; even her hair was perfect even after the late hours and restless tossing and turning the night before. Next to her was Lyle Griffiths, sniffing heavily with the cold he had caught in the snow, and across from her were Kurt and Inara, both looking incredibly forlorn. Inara had lost her best friend to the Ravens, and Kurt had lost his sister.

At last, Shiloh could no longer take the depressed air. She slammed down her mug and stood from the nook.

"I can't take it anymore. We have to get our friends back, and I'm not waitin' another moment. I'm talkin' to the professor." The Australian stalked out of the room. Lyle cast his eyes between Kurt and Inara, and the door that Prism had disappeared through. He sighed, before getting up and following her.

Kurt sighed, running a hand through his blue hair. He himself was growing more impatient himself. He knew he had to give Siryn her time to recover from the shock, but he was growing more worried about Rogue and the others with every minute that passed.

He glanced over at Inara, whose head was hanging, dark rings under her pretty emerald eyes. Her hair was mussed and she looked rather pale.

Kurt nudged her. "Inara?" She looked up at him. His yellow eyes were sympathetic. "Don't worry. We'll get them back."

She let out a weary breath, before leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder. He let her rest there, finding it comforting for him as well to be this close to someone at this time. He also noticed that Inara smelled very nice, like oriental spice. Her hair brushing against his shoulder and chest was also especially silky, just as soft as his own indigo fur.

"I don't know Kurt. I'm just afraid. I've never faced anything like this before. I know you have, like when mutants first came out and then Apocalypse, but me… I mean, even when I enrolled here, everything that meant being an X-Man just seemed so distant, something that could never happen to me. Even with Magneto it seemed almost fun, like a big game where I could back out if I ever got tired of it. But now our friends are being held against us and we don't know what's going to happen. I just feel so helpless," she ended on a whisper.

Kurt put an arm around the younger girl. "We've all felt that at some time or another. When mutants came out I didn't know how life could ever return to anything close to what it had been. But eventually it did. What matters is we don't give up, and we just keep hoping for the best."

Inara sighed, settling further into him, but she seemed calmer now. Kurt was glad he had been able to comfort her; it made him feel better as well. For a few quiet minutes they remained together, just taking comfort in another's presence. Then at last the telepathic call they had all been waiting for sounded in their ears.

"_Everyone assemble in Cerebro. Ms. Cassidy is ready to tell us what she knows."_

Within minutes they were all gathered in the great spherical room, either standing or sitting crisscross-applesauce on the metal ramp, waiting expectantly. The professor was speaking to a nervous Theresa Cassidy. He was explaining how if she put the headset on, it would access her memories and display them on the screen panels lining the room.

"Since you aren't completely aware of the memories stored from your time with the Ravens what we see on the screens will be random and out of order, and most likely just as new to you as they are to us. It may seem a little strange Theresa, but it is perfectly safe."

"Okay," she replied breathily as she sat down in the seat, slipping the head piece on over her bush of red hair. She closed her eyes and allowed her shoulders to slump as she regressed into the memories that she had only just become aware of. The room tensed, waiting as the lights went out and the room went black.

There were a few flickers of light, before with sudden burst scenery jumped up around them. The ramp, Cerebro console, and walls had all vanished. Looking around, they couldn't see each other since they were experiencing the memories of a single person, but they knew that they weren't alone.

As individuals all experiencing the memory separately, they examined their surroundings. The dirt road wound aimlessly through a collage of green-grass slopes and flats of tall waving stalks. On a sunny spring day it would have been a peaceful and pretty place, but not here. Dark clouds that spoke of rain hung over the sky and cast the landscape in a dire gloom. The tall stalks of grass hissed and chattered ominously in a bitingly cold wind, and the sensation of loneliness was palpable. There was also a strange texture to the scene. The images were wonky and distorted, the landscape swaying and oozing about like slimy ocean. Sounds were garbled and a vague dizziness affected all of the watchers.

The memory panned about, as if searching out the surroundings, before it jolted and blurred out. The memory had been distorted by sudden fear. The scene jerked forward, showing that Siryn in the memory had begun to run.

Then red poured over the memory, a cry of pain echoing weirdly around in their ears. Shaking hands appeared, a gasp of terror ripping through the scene as the memory beheld small and pretty hands sprout coarse black feathers, bursting through the skin with sprays of scarlet blood. All the time, a voice that rose and fell creepily chanted unfamiliar words into the very air, everywhere and nowhere at once.

Oceana stopped her breath in shock.

"_Oh my God. Bridget told me about this dream; the one she said wouldn't go away!"_

The recalled scream of absolute fear choked and rasped before it turned into the harsh shriek of an angry raptor. Then everything blacked out.

_Within Remembrance…_

_Green eyes blinked open, feeling the summons tingle in her bones. She sat up robotically, pulling back the thin white sheet that covered her in sleep. With all swiftness, the white night slip was shed and replaced by a sleek, shifting armor that seemed to be woven of shadows. The mask and cape were for now neglected, but they would surely be needed before long. She made sure that the gold and pearl antique comb was fixed firmly in her hair._

_Without needing to lay a hand on the knob, the door to Siryn's room swung upon with ghostly silence. She slipped into the long, wood paneled hallway. It was old in style, the Victorian design and brass candle holders flickering to life along the walls would have fit far better back in the early 1800's._

_Along the corridor more doors were opening, allowing more shadow-clothed females ranging from seven to their mid-twenties to enter the hallway. As one all their heads turned down the north corridor, where a set of thick and curtained doors swung upon. A cold breeze flew down the hallway, setting their hair rippling. They tracked silent footsteps through that doorway. _

_Traversing multiple hallways, interconnecting corridors, and up several flights of stairs, one would believe themselves lost in a maze within a castle. They passed many open windows, but all that could be seen beyond the panes were swirls of impenetrable mist. Perhaps they were suspended in the eternal clouds._

_At last Siryn and the other girls entered through another set of double doors into a circular room large enough to park a plane in. The shadows on the walls flickered, the candles set in the wall sconces doing their best to illuminate the room. Despite the persistence of the small flames, the greatest light in the room came from the floor to ceiling windows hung with gossamer curtains. The great windows were open to the misty oblivion, letting the cold air to dance in and swirl the drapes like aimless ghosts. The luminance that drifted in with the wind lit the room in an eerie bluish tinge, like the brief half hour or so before dawn where the moon still stains the landscape and silver-blue sky had frozen in this timeless, impenetrable place. _

_They waited as from other doorways even more girls filed in, silent as specters, until all of their number was accounted for. There was a moment of no noise and no movement._

_The candles in their holders jerked and snuffed out before coming back to life, now glowing the same color blue as the outside light that gave the room its phantom aura. _

_A dark shadow like that of great bird filled the frame of the center window frame, before a cloud of solid darkness twisted out of the reaches of fog beyond the window and settled in the room. It writhed for a moment before forming into a tall woman. The pale face framed with midnight black hair gazed around at them all, quicksilver irises glinting with an unidentifiable emotion. Then she smiled, which was both a lovely and menacing gesture at the same time._

"_My daughters, I have returned. All is well?"_

"_Yes High Raven," many fair voices chorused back. Siryn glanced around for no obvious purpose, taking in faces. She saw several new faces among their fold, one a tall and muscular Latino girl with a white Mohawk and a tiny Asian girl with a curious pattern of purple-black symbols running down her arms. Their eyes were blank and lifeless, without emotion._

_The High Raven nodded in acceptance and pleasure. "Good. Now that I have come back to you my children, we must continue preparing you for your destinies. Let us not waste time. But first, gather around as we welcome your newest sisters to the Nest." _

_With a twitch of a steel-clawed glove covered finger, the five new members detached themselves from the still crowd. The Asian and the Latino walked almost in sync, as an average looking brunette and a girl with long silver tabby fur sprouting along her arms and face trailed behind. The last was a tiny blonde girl, her skin unhealthily grey and her empty hazel eyes glinting with a creepy light. _

"_Eternal," the leader lilted in her unearthly voice, "come forward."_

_A strawberry blonde girl with misty green eyes stepped out and moved forward into the circle that had formed around the High Raven and the new followers. She bowed her head respectfully to their leader and waited for her orders._

_The High Raven waved her hand, a swirl of darkness emerging and twisting to form a shining black, wide bowled goblet. The silver eyes glinted before the elder woman allowed strange words to roll off her tongue. Blue and pale green flames erupted along the marble floor, encircling herself, Eternal, and her newest Ravens. The new girls never flinched, neither from the fire nor from the woman towering over them. _

_The High Raven reached into a satchel she had wrapped around her waist and withdrew five pieces of jewelry, all of a beautiful antique design and purpose: a sapphire ring with a silver band, pearl earrings, a lace choker netted with small jewels, and a thick bracelet inlaid with gold filaments. These pieces were bestowed upon the first four girls, who didn't move. When the High Raven reached the small blonde, she paused, allowing a smile to spread over her pale but exotic face._

"_Yes my daughter, this is where you belong." She placed a long fingered hand below the tiny girl's chin, tilting up the slack face and stroking her cheek with her thumb. "Your spirit belongs in the darkness; embrace the night and you shall thrive." The strange message was received without reaction but it didn't seem to deter the High Raven. With a slip of graceful hands, a silver locket inlaid with diamond and onyx chip and a dark ruby set in the center was clasped around the blonde's neck. _

_The High Raven stepped back and turned her face to Eternal. From the binding sash worn around her hips, Eternal withdrew a long dagger of razor sharp iron. With a quick flash, the knife slid almost liquidly across her smooth skin, leaving a thick track of shining blood that dripped to the floor. The High Raven swiftly collected the flow of blood into the goblet before the wound sealed up seamlessly, Eternal barely showing a wince. In the light of the blue and green flames the red pool looked as black as obsidian. _

"_Life of the pledged servant," the High Raven murmured before drifting forward toward the newest five. "And the spirits of those yet to serve the purpose."_

_She placed two fingers to each girl's forehead, and when the fingers were withdrawn a wisp of colored pulsing light came with them. When she finished, five strands of drifting color danced around the palm of the leader's hand: red, dark violet, minty green, white, and a mystical lilac. With a flick of her long fingers, the wisps of light fell with a hiss into the goblet of blood. For a moment nothing happened, before with a blast of red light, the streaks of light shot back out of the goblets, but were now wreathed in shadow. They cavorted frantically around the room before the screaming streaks of light tumbled towards their owners, but instead of returning inside the girls, they slammed into the ornaments placed upon them by the High Raven. High pitched cries went up, but sounded like they came from a great distance. Then they fell silent, and the menacing flames died into nothing. Within moments the room had returned to its cold blue hue and all trace of the ritual was gone._

_The five girls remained kneeling, but their heads tilted up. Their faces were no longer blank; their eyes blazed with a nearly feral light. The High Raven smiled brightly._

"_Welcome to the Nest, my daughters." _

**XXXXXX**

The enraptured X-men were thoroughly startled when the scene before them broke apart, fuzzing out to show the shining metallic walls of Cerebro.

Siryn had pulled the head piece off, her shoulders tense and chest heaving. Her voice sounded shaky when she spoke.

"I'm tired. May I take a break please?"

The professor nodded, catching the wavering timber in her words. "Of course; whenever you're ready we can continue."

The Irish girl nodded before bolting from the room, mostly unnoticed by the room's other inhabitants who were still reentering the real world.

"What was all that, and who is that freaky lady?" Bobby inquired in confusion, his voice and eyes still a little spacy.

They were all rather shocked when Storm appeared to have an answer for them. Unable to see each other during the memory reel, they hadn't noticed the regal woman's face growing paler as they saw and heard more of the mysterious leader of the Ravens.

"I-I believe I know who the woman is, but only from old stories I would hear as a child in Kenya. Until now, I hadn't made the connection…" She hesitated for a moment before telling them what she knew.

"They were just stories that were told at night among the elders and used as entertainment for the children. The legends told of two great sorcerers long ago in Egypt, a man and a woman named Ra' in honor of the sun god, and Gereh for the night. Ra' and Gereh were said to possess massive power in their special arts: Ra' for his magic arts in war, and Gereh in her illusions and cunning. The stories said that Ra' eventually lost his immortality and died out, but word of Gereh faded away slowly over the years."

"There was one part of the later legends of Gereh that I had never really noticed before, but now I can see is of the utmost importance. Gereh, after her brother's fall in Egypt, disappeared from the land, but would reappear for several centuries afterward in many countries. It was always said she was followed by a group of unnaturally gifted women; her handmaidens. This group was dubbed the Ravens."

Storm seemed mind blown. "They were always just characters of legend, but after what we've seen, I believe that this High Raven is Gereh from the tales, and the girls are the Ravens."

"Whoa, whoa!" Scott held up his hands, red light flashing behind his visor. "So you're saying we're dealing with a sorceress here?"

Storm nodded. "Yes Scott and an incredibly powerful one as well. "

"Holy God," he muttered, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "First Apocalypse and now this?"

"After all these years she's come back," StoneHeart murmured, piecing everything together out loud. "But why? She has supposedly lain dormant all of these years, so why would she return now?"

"What I want to know," Biofuse growled, "is how she's targeting our girls and getting them under her control."

Jean shuffled her feet, rather odd for the usually confidant red head. "That scene at the beginning I think is the key to who Gereh is targeting. It's a dream that her targets start having prior to when Gereh comes for them."

"How would you know that?" Scott asked, turning to his girlfriend.

Jean looked ashamed. "Because I've had it before," she murmured.

"What!" Her boyfriend's reaction was just as she had expected it would be. "You've been having this dream and you didn't say anything?"

"Why would I Scott? I didn't know what it meant; I thought it was just a nightmare."

"Hey!" They were all startled by Kitty's unexpected yell. "First thing's first, has anyone else had this dream?"

Worry spread over their faces as both Nymph and Black Diamond raised their hands. Inara looked scared. "I didn't know anyone else was having it, or I would have said something."

Oceana put in her thoughts as well. "Bridget told me about the nightmare before, but she wasn't that worried about it. She said if it didn't go away she was going to go to the professor."

The swell of voices exclaiming on the new light shed on the dilemma grew steadily until it was almost an unintelligible blur of noise. The professor took a few moments to quiet the babble, a line creased heavily into his brow. His face could barely conceal the weariness and worry that was plaguing them all.

"I agree that these mysteries must be solved, but Ms. Cassidy needs time to compose herself, and I believe it would be best if we did the same. It would be best if this was left until tomorrow."

Kurt's distressed voice rose along with many other protests. "Mein sister and our friends are under the control of this sorceress; we can't just stop for a cocoa break while they are prisoners!"

"This mind control thing could be getting worse the longer we wait!"

"We ain't leavin' my cherie with that crazy woman."

"Or my little sister!"

"Quiet!" bellowed the impressive voice of Wolverine. He sighed deeply, but there was gruff compassion in his voice.

"Now I want to get at this Raven chick just as much as the rest of ya, but from what 'Ro says we ain't gonna beat her easy unless we have a game plan. We need to know everything before we go charging in."

The room was frozen in flabbergasted silence. Just the fact that Wolverine of all people was willing to lay down his title of Supreme Leroy Jenkins to actually wait for a strategy was enough to shut them up. There were still several among them that showed resentment on their faces, but they didn't make any further comment. They were about to disperse when a voice interrupted.

"N-no, I want to go again," Siryn stated, shakily but firmly from where she stood at the entrance. "Your friends and family are trapped there, and I want to help save them."

The professor eyed her speculatively. "Are you sure about this Theresa?"

She nodded vigorously, and he relented. She sat down at Cerebro again, her face determined. Once more, they were plunged into the surreal first-person view of the memory replay.

_Footsteps echoed down the silent corridor as Siryn traversed their 'residence.' There seemed to be no ending to the multitude of staircases, narrow hallways, empty chambers, and giant windows looking out into misty void. _

_She turned and entered a new hallway, this one much wider than most of the others._

_The walls, instead of being wooden panel, were instead murals of a quality Michelangelo hardly could have mustered. The images displayed upon the walls were like the illustrations of a fantasy book, but they were so much more horrible in their realism. _

_Scenes of unusual lands were displayed in full and beautiful detail, and depictions of dark rituals spattered the swell of images with grim darkness. _

_Her eyes traced over a particular kind of story arc in the mural. It showed their leader, as strong and regal as ever standing beside a man of equal appearance and stature. They stood on a desert hilltop over a crowd of warring humans. No one paid the two figures mind, but their shadows stretched disproportionally huge over the masses of heaving, bloody war. The next showed the same two watching a grey-skinned humanoid that radiated power even in the painting slice down his enemies, the crescent moon setting the strange blue markings tracing his body to shimmering. The two figures, always cold and distant, followed the fierce warrior through a series of paintings where the warrior grew less human and more ruthless the further he went. _

_At last, the two stately figures came to the forefront. They dictated commandingly to a small crowd of humans. And then they watched with cool satisfaction as the fierce warrior, weakened by the alien device he was laid in, was locked away by his former subjects._

_The same man and woman appeared in every image following those, but the further Siryn progressed down the hallway, the man steadily disappeared from the painted tomes. But the woman remained, despite the obvious passage of time that the images showed. _

"_A lonely journey it has been." Siryn whipped her head around, then chiding herself. It was impossible to tell when the High Raven would appear, and it was uncomely to show fear in her presence._

_But the High Raven didn't acknowledge her start, her eerie silver-white eyes fixed on the series of paintings on the walls. Her face was straight, but a truly frightening white-hot rage burned in her eyes as they fixed on the image of the man in the images that was nearly identical to her. When she spoke again, Siryn doubted that her leader was actually speaking to her, her voice hissing through her especially sharp canine teeth._

"_A purpose such as ours is a difficult one to follow, but one that fate has chosen us for. Those who turn their backs on their destinies are less than even mortal men."_

_A sudden flash of searing blue-white light seared the hallway, blinding Siryn momentarily. When she blinked her eyes open again, the High Raven had disappeared. Where an image of her male counterpoint of so many years ago had once been portrayed on the wall, there was now only a gaping black hole, pale blue fire still flickering at the edges. _

"_Come Ravens!"_

_The same meeting place where new additions to the Nest were initiated steadily filled with the black-clad girls. _

_Their leader stood at the head of the room in her usual place, her freakishly pale eyes gleaming with a feral light. _

"_I have brought home entertainment," she purred, gesturing to a rather large bundle that twitched at her feet, wrapped in solid shadows._

_With a wave of her hand, the dark coverings were swept away to reveal a middle-aged woman cowering on the floor, her business suit torn and her neat hair in disarray. _

_The High Raven motioned to her. "Here is an example of the work that lays before us my daughters. This woman has been a part of actions that will destroy the balance of this world."_

_The hisses and snarling were enough to show the evil of that crime. Siryn herself growled, murderously eyeing the terrified older woman. _

_The High Raven continued; her voice was still calm but cold and biting as ice. "This woman has been among those who seek to wreak chaos among mankind. Some of you may recognize her: a vehement speaker on the evil of mutants, pushing to have them locked away and exterminated, secretly supporting mutant hunters around the country, waging war against her brothers and sisters because of fear and cowardice."_

_The raving was suddenly interrupted. "I-I was right a-all along about mutants. You are all evil!" the woman squeaked, some hatred still creeping through the terror in her voice. "Whatever you do to me will ensure the world of what you really are, that you want to rule because you believe yourselves superior!"_

_The High Raven arched a cynical eyebrow, contempt twisting her features before her mask of cool regality returned. She cocked her head and smiled sublimely at her captive._

"_But I am no mutant. How can I wage war for mutant-kind, when I'm not even part of your mortal world?"_

_The woman's eyes widened as the immortal woman leaned closer. _

"_I care not for mutant and human squabbles, they are insignificant. But I can no longer turn a blind eye when weak humanity turns on itself. The world I have nurtured as a child since my awakening has become petty and selfish, a bastard child of gluttony and anarchy. It sickens me to see what it has been reduced to," she snarled quietly, fury tainting her even words._

"_It is time this world was purged of its scum: mutants and humans who seek to destroy their blood brothers because of their fear and hate, looking to upset the natural balance of the society I have helped to shape over thousands of years. You will only be the first of many in this Cleansing." The High Raven rose and turned to her followers, eyes shining brightly. _

"_Dread," she summoned. _

_The practically ghoulish teen stepped from the crowd, her once vibrant golden hair now almost an ash color. Her skin was sallow, cheekbones sharpened and dark bruises lining her sunken in eyes. Those same eyes, the hazel irises cooled to a dead color, fixed on the disturber of the peace._

_The High Raven stepped down. As she passed Dread, a long-fingered hand reached out to caress the locks of wispy hair almost lovingly._

"_Finish it," she crooned, as if to an adorable small child._

_Dread's eyes whited out and her face twisted into a mask of fury and death. The memory Siryn retreated, fear gripping her gut as she turned away, unable to face fear incarnate head on. None of the young Ravens could._

_The wild screams took a long time to fade into silence, and even then, the empty hallways rang with phantom echoes long after their origin had ceased to be. _

**XXXXXX**

Slowly they began to regain their awareness. Several more memories flashed by, brief visions of battle training, and other strange images that they couldn't make sense of. Then they faded out, leaving Cerebro bare again.

Siryn removed the headpiece, rubbing her temples.

"So that's why. She's bitter, because her brother left her behind to become mortal, because the world she's been nurturing is turning on itself as humans and mutants are growing closer to conflict. The Ravens were made to destroy those who threaten the peace," she moaned, but her voice sounded strange.

"It's strange, but I almost feel for her. She's been alone for so long, and she doesn't want to see mankind destroy itself with unnecessary war."

"It is not unnecessary when injuries have already been inflicted," scowled Magneto, who until now had remained silent and watchful at the rear of the large crowd of mutants.

Siryn turned a glare to him. "It is if ye don't even know for sure what would happen otherwise. The chance might be slim, but bloodshed could very well be avoided if ye weren't pushing your militarist campaign like ye are."

His lips thinned with displeasure. "Are you still harboring loyalty to your mistress Siryn?"

A faint growl rose from her lips, some of the vicious light returning that had since subsided once the antique comb keeping her prisoner had been broken.

"That's enough," the professor interjected. "Whether conflict between mutants and humans is inevitable is a concern for another time. Right now we must focus on seeing this sorceress stopped and our own returned safely."

Suddenly Siryn staggered, holding her head. Cannonball caught her just before she could fall. The Irish girl shook herself, her green eyes flying around the room.

"I'm still getting memories…coming to my awareness ye might say. They just jump out at me," she panted wearily, but her gaze was urgent.

"The flash I got just now showed me where they'll strike next. And it's coming soon."

_**End Part III**_

**A/N: Okay, couple of things to say. First, this chapter didn't come out nearly as well as I wanted it to, but I just couldn't seem to get it right. This gets across what needs to be gotten across, but I wish it could have been better. Plus I was getting bored because this was a frigging LONG chapter.**

**Second, some people are probably thinking their OCs are getting put in the background a lot and others are featuring a lot more. It would be very hard to give every character a spotlight in one story arc, but new characters will be featuring in future arcs. I'm just using the ones that work best here for now. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about them. **

**Third, I'm reducing the writing of accents to a minimum after this, cause it's a pain and you all know how they talk anyway, so screw it.**

**And fourth, next chapter we'll be getting a real point of view from Dread herself while the X-men prepare for another confrontation. Stay tuned for the next installment. **


	16. Omen of the Ravens: Part IV

**Omen of the Ravens: Part III**

Dread's POV:

I throw the antique music box at the pale stone wall, feeling a weird satisfaction watching it shatter.

I don't know why I threw it, and I can't say why I'm so angry. I'm always angry now. I can feel it boiling inside of me like a dormant volcano, and sometimes, like now, it has to come out somehow.

After every tantrum I somehow come out exhausted and I have to sit on the bed. There's only one window in my room, and there isn't much to see beyond it besides a solid wall of fog. If I stare hard enough I can almost see shapes of people and faces there. The anger starts growing again.

Professor Xavier, the saint and savior of mutant kind. I can feel my lip curling. It was only now that I realized how blind I'd been to not see behind that mask of benevolence and false wisdom. How could he have wisdom when he couldn't help me stop my demon powers? I had placed so much faith in Xavier, believing he could help me. He knew, much more than any of the others did. Only he was aware of how much I had struggled every day to be normal while trying to hold back the darkness inside of me. I had thought he was helping me, but now I realize I was just another pawn in his mutant/human peace crusade. Peace, my ass. I had nearly died once already in the few months I'd been at the Institute, and what did I have to show for that sacrifice? Absolutely nothing, at least before Gereh found me. It wasn't control she had given me, but there was a pleasure and rush for me when I used my powers freely and without thought. It scared me at first, but now I was coming to crave it.

The clouds swirl to form a new face: Dalaja. I don't feel the same anger as I do towards Professor X, but I can feel a core of cold contempt forming inside me. Dalaja was so naïve, just like I had been up until recently. She still followed Xavier's quest blindly, and why shouldn't she? Her powers weren't dangerous to her and the people she cares for. Let her hop on the mutant rights bandwagon until she gets shot down. But I still feel pity for her, almost wishing Gereh would accept her among the Ravens like she had me and open her eyes to the truth. But Gereh will only accept the most powerful of mutants to join the righteous cause. I only hope that, for Dalaja's sake, she'll wise up and get out before she gets killed for Xavier's dream.

Nikolai appears next. Again, I'm not angry with him so much as pitying. He's just like Dala, too set in the fanciful dream to see what lies ahead of him. At least he has a fighting chance.

Two faces appear this time, Barricade and Black Diamond. I don't really have any feelings towards Tsarina. Gereh has her sights set on her along with Nymph. I don't know her that well but if Tsarina's smart, and I'm sure she is she'll join with us willingly. I know she struggles with her powers daily just like me and has suffered just as much. It would be better if she and Inara join our side instead of being wasted in a hopeless cause that asks everything of them and gives them doom in return. Jon is different. He reminds me so much of Leo it's a little frightening. Like Tsarina, I don't know him that well…but in a way I do. I can understand how he thinks. He's a leader in the shadows, and I'll bet he could do just as well as Scott could. I sneer. I _know _he could do just as well as Scott. Jon is willing to bend rules, risk seeing things from a new perspective, and he doesn't hold prejudices unlike Cyclops. He certainly didn't for me or Tsarina when our minds were linked. I don't know how I feel about him, but I don't wish him ill. For many of the people that appear to me in the mist, I don't wish harm on. But I won't hesitate to go up against them in the name of the Ravens' cause.

One more face is showing itself to my rage-clouded mind. It's not one I expected.

Wraith is by no means my friend, but there's something about him that draws my interest. I've only met him once, but the strange connection is still humming inside of me.

I don't know what it is. There's something about him that seems so like me, but so unlike me. The same anger I have in me I know is in him as well, but it doesn't rage in him like it does in me. I want to know more, but how I would figure it out is beyond me. Gereh doesn't let us leave unless she has a mission for us. Otherwise, the immeasurable passages of the Nest are our only haunts.

I put my head in my hands, tears stinging my eyes. Why am I like this? Did I always feel like this? It's getting hard to tell. It feels as if I've been a part of the Ravens for an eternity, which for all I know might be true. We're stuck in the predawn hour of no night and no day, making it impossible to figure the passage of time.

The anger fades away, leaving only an empty hole inside. Maybe that's why I'm so angry; the unstoppable fury is so much better than that sucking black hole that feels like I'm drowning on the inside.

This isn't me. The anger, the despair, the darkness…that isn't me. And yet it is. All the rage was always a part of me, but it was always in the background and locked away. Why is it consuming me now?

I clutch at the small, cold lump hanging between my collarbones. The locket seems so heavy at times like this. For a moment I grip it hard, intending to rip it off and throw it away. But as always I stop at the last second and my hand drops away. I won't touch it; I never do no matter how much it weighs me down or chokes me. It feels like the only thing that can keep me balanced in a world that's tilting crazily around me.

Then the whisper comes. They aren't words exactly, but we all know what it means.

Darkness spreads on the edges of my vision, while my sight sharpens to painful clarity. My fists clench until blood drips to the floor as that blazing core of rage consumes me all over again.

The darkness inside of me was baying like a starving wolf, longing to grip someone through their fear and tear them apart. It could smell prey, and it was hungry.

XXXXXX

The residents of the X-mansion swarmed about. The clock was ticking fast towards zero hour and they had precious little time to prepare of the confrontation looming closer and closer.

Among the mixed crowd of X-men, New Recruits, and Brotherhood, Jon and Tsarina were weaving through the flowing tides of scrambling mutants.

Jon was speaking to the younger girl as they climbed the main stairwell. "I don't know if it will help, but I think we should try to contact Leo Akriditis. He's basically Bridget's only family and whether he can help or not I think he should be here. Besides, he's a mutant just like us. He might be a lot of help in the battle."

Tsarina nodded. "I'll search Bridget's room and belongings. Maybe we can find out how to contact him. You should search and try to find the city we saw in the memory where he lives."

"You two," Wolverine barked as he tromped down the stairs in the opposite direction of them, "do whatever it is you're doing and then get to the Danger Room. The Ravens are no easy opponents, and we can't have slacking fighters when we meet 'em."

They nodded and disappeared on their way to the third floor. He continued on his way to the sublevels. A large group of his students were there waiting, Storm and Beast already giving out instructions to their charges.

"We've catalogued as many mutant powers displayed by the Ravens in our last confrontation," Beast was telling the battle-ready group: Shadowcat, Colossus, Iceman, Gambit, Wolfsbane, Cyclone, Wreck, Copycat, and Reflect. "The Danger Room will be imitating their powers and fighting skills as closely as we were able to program it. What you'll be looking for are the mind control items their leader as supposedly placed on them. You're main objective is to find those items, most likely a discreet piece of jewelry, and destroy it. If you can't manage that, just try to subdue them. Watch out for shadow portals that can appear anywhere at any time."

The group nodded, and then turned as the automatic doors to the training room whooshed open. The Brotherhood walked in, all in their battle uniforms.

Avalanche looked rather uncomfortable, but his voice was steady. "We're going with you. They have Wanda, and even if we aren't X-men we don't leave our own in the hands of nutcases, no matter how powerful."

Storm and Beast looked to Wolverine. Of them all he would probably be the most opposed to this, but he merely beckoned them forward with a hand. "The more fighters the better."

The reactions were mixed. Lance and Pietro looked rather relieved, Toad and Blob groaned quietly feeling that this would be painful, Zenia's eyes gleamed with the prospect of real combat, Morpheus showed blankness, and Wraith maintained his usual stony expression.

"Okay then, activate simulation," barked Wolverine. The scene flickered and reformed into a system of tunnels that twisted away into darkness. They set off and began their practices, all with a determination that wasn't usually displayed in the danger room.

All in all, the groups were doing well enough, but they still felt unsure of how easy this victory would really be.

XXXXXX

"Are you sure those are all the memories?" the professor asked kindly of Siryn. The freed Raven nodded, her eyes determined. She had insisted on joining in the upcoming clash between the mutant groups, determined to help free the other girls and to get vengeance for her capture.

"I'm pretty sure that's most of 'em, at least the ones that are important to the upcoming battle. I've been trying to find the location of the Nest, if there is one we can access."

Xavier nodded. "Thank you. Now Theresa, we've managed to contact your father and he'll be coming tomorrow. Whether you join us in our struggle against the Ravens is something that needs to be worked out between the two of you. Remember that you are under no obligation to fight with us; you've been through enough."

Theresa nodded. "I know, but this is what I want. I'll make Daddy understand that."

Xavier nodded and allowed her to leave his office. Siryn walked down the nearly empty hallway, determining how she would get her father to permit her to stay and fight. Suddenly she was grabbed and pulled into a side room. She didn't have time to cry for help.

"Shhh! It's just us!" hissed a familiar voice. Siryn relaxed when she saw Dynamo, Biofuse, Oceana, and Rapport there.

Dynamo spoke, his voice urgent. "This mind control you were all under, we need to know all about it if you can tell us. What if something goes wrong and we lose the people we care about for good?"

Siryn sat down, thinking. "I don't have much to tell ye. I didn't really understand it myself. You saw how she put us in her control. But…well, I don't really think it's like mind control. The lapse I had with my memories, it was like waking up from a very vivid dream. It felt so real while ye were having it, but it takes you a bit to remember it all when you wake up. Then it's all déjà vu."

"Somehow, I was completely aware of what I was doing during my time there, so I wasn't brain washed." Confusion creased her face. "I don't know what it was. But the longer I was there, I started losing myself. I lost track of the days and nights, and I got steadily angrier." She rubbed her temples, worry apparent in her posture and expression.

"I think we need t' free them soon. The longer they stay under her control, the harder it'll be to get them back."

"Then we can't fail," growled Nikolai determined.

The next day things were even busier. According to Siryn, at midnight tonight the next strike would happen. The ever-present feel of growing dread increased throughout the day as battle uniform began to appear, Hank was seen stocking the Blackbird with medical supplies, and X-men and Brotherhood alike ran through their fighting moves last minute. Magneto also arrived with a select group of his own Acolytes, joining them in the fight.

At around four in the afternoon the doorbell rang. Jean opened the door to see a tall man with wavy blonde hair and green eyes. His mind was projecting a mix of relief, tension, and impatience. He gave a strained smile to her.

"Hello Ms. I'm Sean Cassidy, Theresa's father."

"Oh of course, your daughter is in the professor's office," she said as she led him inside. They were permitted into the office immediately.

"Daddy!" cried Theresa, lunging across the room into his embrace. He held her close, the two telepaths hearing the tears in his voice.

"My little girl, you don' know how frightened you had me," he whispered, brushing her long red hair with his hand. They stood like this for a while before Theresa drew back, wiping a tear from her cheek. Mr. Cassidy turned to the professor.

"Thank ye Professor. It was killing me, not being able to find her."

The professor nodded. "We're glad to see a family reunited."

The blonde man sat in a chair, his daughter staying near. "Ye told me that some powerful woman's been taking girls like my daughter and keepin' them prisoner."

"Yes, in a way. The woman has a crusade against mutants and humans looking to start a war between us. She's been taking control of the girls she takes and bends them to do her will. Our group the X-men is heading out to oppose them tonight."

"And I want to go Daddy," Theresa put in.

His head whipped around to stare at her. "Absolutely not Theresa! I won't risk ye getting hurt or kidnapped again."

"Please Dad. These girls, they're trapped just like I was. I want t' help free them. I owe the X-men for saving me, and the least I can do is back them up. I know how t' fight; that's the one good thing I got out of my time with the Ravens."

Her father paused, considering it. He looked intently at her and read the resolve in her eyes. He sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair.

"Alright, but on one condition." He turned to Professor X. "She only fights if I go too."

"You are a mutant Mr. Cassidy?" the professor asked.

Sean smirked. "Theresa got her gift from her old man. Some friends o' mine like to call me Banshee."

Xavier nodded with a small smile. "Thank you Mr. Cassidy. We will need all the help we can get."

The door opened and Wolverine poked his scruffy head in.

"Hey Chuck, sun's going down soon. The kids are getting antsy."

Charles nodded. "Yes, it is almost time to leave. Banshee, Siryn, if you would follow Logan downstairs you will be able to join the team." The professor followed behind them as they exited the office, feeling the fear that had been plaguing the mansion creeping up on him. Only a few more hours until the storm broke.

XXXXXX

Dread watched with gleaming eyes as Gereh paced in front of the ranks of her warriors. The deadly hiss had returned to their leader's voice as the prospect of fulfilling their purpose drew close.

"The moment it strikes midnight, you attack and not a moment before. I must make sure all is as it should be. If the signal does not come, we retreat. If it does, know that everything is in place and we shall attack. Do well by our purpose my daughters, and I shall be proud."

Shadow portals sprung to life and the ranks of shadow fighters vanished into the voids.

XXXXXX

Wraith stood in silence, surrounded by Acolytes, X-men, and his fellow Brotherhood mutants. They were all spread out in the pine woods that surrounded a militaristic style base. The crescent moon was rising and the air was frigid, sending up clouds of steaming breath from all who were waiting.

Wraith let the darkness of his powers spread outward, sensing for the appearance of shadow portals. The hot pulse points signaled that the Ravens were already here.

"They're here," he growled softly. Jean Grey put her hands to her temples and concentrated.

"Yes, I can feel their presences but I can't read their thoughts. They're waiting for the right moment to strike. But something doesn't feel right."

"They probably know that we are here," Magneto said. "If this woman is as cunning and powerful as you say she is then she will probably have guessed that we have information on them from the Cassidy girl. They'll have taken the X-men at least into account, and I'm sure they have a plan."

"Then why the hell are we rushing in there blind?" hissed Eclipse, rubbing his arms from the cold.

"Because otherwise we will not get another chance to set the girls free of her," Colossus murmured. The atmosphere tensed as he said out loud what they all knew was at stake.

Wraith remained still. There wasn't much concern within him at either the failure or success of this mission. These weren't really people he knew or cared for, and the stakes didn't seem that high from his point of view. Surely the Ravens would continue to strike elsewhere if they failed here; the X-men could just engage them then.

No, Wraith wasn't worried. He had his own agenda.

"Three minutes to midnight," whispered Jubilee from where she crouched behind a juniper bush. Bodies tensed and minds sharpened as they prepared for battle.

"Two minutes."

Wraith could feel the shifting in his inner darkness responding to a similar signature of blackness nearby. He smiled, eager to carry out his agenda.

"One minute."

XXXXXX

Inside the military base, a man in black combat fatigues observed the work that was taking place as giant red robots were built and shaped.

Sergeant Trask was pleased. The government had reopened the Sentinel program, if only to use the machines to mediate large threats of the mutant variety. He was sure that soon they would serve a much larger purpose.

He stopped, the feeling of being watched tingling at the back of his neck. He swiveled around, seeing only scientists and mechanics consumed with their work on the large robots.

He shrugged it off, just as his watch began beeping midnight.

An inhuman shriek ripped the air and the shadows erupted into life with a vengeance.

XXXXXX

"Midnight!"

The bird cry tore the air and the mutants sprang into action. They charged down towards the entrances they had spied out.

Wolverine at the lead, the door was torn down and the X-men and their allies poured into the facility.

The seething mass of black was just as it had been at Magneto's base. But this time they were better prepared as they fell among the Ravens.

Trask gasped as the masked creature withdrew and vanished from where it had him pinned, the claws that had been about to puncture his throat retracting. He staggered up and watched as those mutants that had opposed his first Sentinel all those months ago raged against the tide of black.

"No!" he yelled in fury as the Ravens began to rip apart the Sentinels and hunt down his workers. Screams went up and howl of blood rage cut the air.

High above, Gereh, the High Raven watched the chaos beneath and grinned.

"You must learn this, X-men; those who try to avert our purpose are our enemies. And my enemies do not last long.

XXXXXX

In a quiet hallway far off in the base, the shadows rippled as Wraith slid out into the open smoothly. His dark eyes glinted as he scanned the hallway. He began to walk down the east corridor, following the cold throbbing in his chest like a trail of string.

He knew the X-men were fighting back there, but that wasn't his concern at the moment. He was hunting, and the trail was clear.

He stepped out of the hallway and into a room the size of an airplane hangar. Metal walkways ran along the walls and hung from the ceiling by suspension cables, while Sentinel parts and half-finished robots dangled between those walkways.

She was close, he could tell. He could feel the core of darkness very strong, but he couldn't tell the direction. Slowly, he climbed the rickety metal staircase leading to one of the walkways. His footsteps clanked quietly as he climbed up until he was about three stories above the concrete floor. Wraith cast his eyes over the lifeless robots and metal parts, and he scanned the ceiling. He couldn't see her.

Cold shivered up his spine and spread through his limbs, but he felt oddly empowered. He grinned, turning to face the small black figure standing statue-like at the end of the walkway.

"You're getting stronger all the time Dread," he rumbled. She hissed in response.

"Why are you hunting me? What interest do you have in me?"

He squared his shoulders, feeling the cold intensify in the strange connection the two shared. She was powering up.

"Why don't we find out?"

The blast of solidified fear rocketed toward him. Whipping his arm out, a blade of shadow intercepted the blast and sent it careening sideways. The two collided with a tank of fuel on the opposite wall. The impact caused an explosion that shook the walkways violently. The oily fire spread over the concrete floor and began to consume the ground level.

Emilian's gaze darted back to Dread. She wasn't wearing her mask anymore for some reason, and her grayish blonde hair tossed wildly in the hot force of the explosion. The whites of her eyes had expanded to fill all of her eyes with a blinding glow, and her skin was a shining grey.

With a grating scream of anger she flung her arm out as more concentrated terror flung towards him. Handspringing backward Emilian just avoided it. He raised his arm again, ready to send the shadows at her, but she was no longer on the walkway.

Before he could search for her he heard a breathy ripping noise and suddenly felt strong and wiry arms wrap around his neck. A bolt of freezing terror ripped through him and he let out a scream of both fear and pain. With desperate strength he threw the girl over his shoulder and she crashed to the metal. She seized his ankle and suddenly they were whirling through blackness.

They reappeared in thin air, both tumbling toward the fiery sea below them. Again, Dread threw them both through a shadow portal. They crashed in a tangle to the fifth floor walkway.

He could feel her chest heaving against him and he grinned. She was still inexperienced with shadow travel, and her energy was running out. He grabbed her again and fell into the shadows, but this time he threw her away from him as they shot through blackness. He reappeared on the scaffold along the east wall, and she was staggering to her feet two floors below him.

Wraith could feel power building in his veins, more than he had ever known before. In this girl's presence, he was stronger than ever.

The raging shadows cast by the bonfire rose at his command, swirling into a cyclone that stormed down towards her. Dread took off running, leaping with panther grace over the scaffolds, even taking a flying leap through the blazing air onto a neighboring platform. She closed in on him, her eyes glowing brighter than ever.

Trying something he had only ever done once, and had nearly killed him, he turned into a cloud of shadow and rocketed towards her. Midway between them she did the same, and they both clashed. A sonic ring of dark purple and black rippled out from them as they veered away from each other, then converged again.

Solidifying, Wraith summoned an ebony blade to his hand, lunging for the smaller girl. Her talon-enhanced hand blocked his strike, and they proceeded to duel over the raging flames below. They sparred viciously, Dread clawing a long scratch in his face and Wraith slicing along her abdomen.

Dread didn't know what was going on. They were fighting with enough vigor to kill, but she wasn't angry. She was thrilled. The emptiness inside was filled and she seemed invincible because of it. From the fierce ecstasy on Wraith's face, she knew he felt the same.

Wraith could see the fulfillment creeping over Dread's face, just like him. Shadows were dancing in a vortex around them and the flames below were undulating and curling in response to the pulse of massive power above them. For a moment they were locked together, talons to shadow-blade, staring into each other's eyes. The connection flared greater than ever, and raw power surged up inside Wraith. Black washed over his vision and for a moment, a pair of completely white eyes stared into a pair of utterly black eyes.

Then the silent blast. They didn't know what it was, but immeasurable power had surged up in them both at the same time, and the two energies converged together at the same time. They were both flung back to opposite ends of the metal walkway.

Emilian howled louder than he ever had before, echoed by Dread's screams. The fiery hangar vanished to be replaced by a small, dark bedroom. Pain was assaulting his head and shoulders, and tears were staining his face. He could hear a deep voice shouting angrily, drunkenly.

"_No." _He opened his eyes and beheld that hated face: lean, pale, edged with black stubble and dark eyes as hard as flint.

His father hit him again and he cried out as he kneeled on the floor, trying to escape the blows.

"Little bastard," the slurred voice growled before kicking him in the stomach, "worthless son, not worth it, nothing but a little freak." Emilian took another hard blow to his head, this one sending fireworks of pain through his head as he crashed back against his dresser.

Black filled his sight and he gasped at the cold. Suddenly the whole room was alive around him, their shadow king, ready to do his bidding. Hatred burned his throat as he glared at his father with black demon eyes.

The protecting darkness, his guardian, reached out. It was quick, and pleasurable. His father's cries were abruptly cut off by a loud snap, and the body crumpled to the floor.

The blackness slid away and the young boy stared in horror, staggering up and away from the prone form. What had the darkness made him do? He was no killer! But even with that realization, he felt no remorse for the action.

Arms suddenly choked off his breath and a hand covered his mouth and nose, his screaming mother calling him devil's child as she strangled him. Again, his dark guardian sprang to life and seized her as well. He heard the thump as she fell as well, before he collapsed to hands and knees, gasping and shaking.

The darkness was consuming, it was eating its king alive. He screamed and choked, the unreality of having killed his parents warring with the darkness, trying to pull him apart at the seams.

"_Swallow the Darkness! Do not let it swallow you!" _ He knew that he was dying in the present, on the walkway over the fire. The only way to survive was to embrace that darkness, keep it inside and let it fill him, but he would never let it out, not completely. He struggled, forcing the Darkness down, down, down into the dankest corners of his being. His only sacrifice was letting it drag his soul down with it.

-.-.-.-

Dread writhed, feeling his pain, seeing his darkest memory. At the same time, her own demons leapt into life. Just like darkness was eating him, fear was consuming her. She didn't know how to contain it, so she let it all out.

That was a mistake. The terror rushed from her like a river of ice, and the screams of thousands mingled with her own. It was killing her, she could feel it. She couldn't contain it, but to let it all go meant her death.

Then she felt Wraith. She didn't know how or why, but she knew what to do. She didn't lock it away, and she didn't let it rampage; she embraced it. She let it fill her. The core of coldness converged at her chest just below her throat.

A deafening crack split the air and she screamed again.

XXXXXX

The combined blast of Darkness and Fear swamped the whole complex.

The X-men and their allies dropped to the ground, holding their heads at the agonizing wave.

"_Bridget! It can't be anyone else!" _The X-men thought, while Zenia and Morpheus felt combined horror for another.

"_Lian!"_

Reeling at the mighty blast, the Ravens staggered towards the portals and escape. Gereh, shielded by her magic, narrowed her eyes and disappeared into the shade.

XXXXXX

Wraith groaned, one of his eyes sliding open. The half-gaze locked with a hazel stare. Confusion, pain, and then an unexpected relief colored her gaze. He could feel her emotions in himself and she seemed…peaceful.

Then, with the rip and whoosh of a shadow portal, she was gone.

He lay there, his limbs too limp to move. His eyes stared at nothing, seeing only hazel.

She was just like him. He had seen it: her parents had abandoned her like his had, but in a different way. She struggled daily trying to contain it. But, unlike him, she had refused her very nature, and so the darkness was eating away at her soul.

Emilian didn't have that problem. The darkness they shared was more than just eerie powers; it was an existence with another entity, another side to themselves that knew no bounds and no remorse. Emilian had discovered his that horrible night and it had frightened him so much that he had hidden his human soul away from it. He blocked away all emotion, all care, all remorse or mercy. He had thought he was protecting himself from the darkness, but deep down he felt that it had always ruled him. He was a prisoner of his own inner darkness.

But not anymore.

The emptiness was filled.

XXXXXX

"Rest my daughter. You fought bravely, and have made me proud."

Dread didn't respond to her leader's words as the woman faded from the room. She lay vegetable-like on the canopied bed, staring out the blank window.

Her mind was clear now. She knew everything: the bind that the leader had on her, the fact that most of these girls had been taken against their will, how she was fighting against the people she had once called friend. She knew all of this, and yet she was still in dilemma.

She closed her eyes. It was peaceful. No thunder of black power in her ears, no remembered fears or dreaded memories. It was quiet.

She had embraced the darkness within, and in doing so had become that darkness. She controlled it, and only she dictated what it did. That was what frightened her most of all. The control she had longed for, for years now, was in her hands and now she wasn't sure if she wanted it. That kind of power didn't belong in the hands of a fifteen year old; barely fifteen at that, since her birthday had only been a few weeks ago. At least she had caught track of the time again.

What if she chose wrongly with this power? What if she became crazed and vengeful like Magneto? Inside, a part of her didn't want to have control over this power. If she messed up she couldn't say that it wasn't her fault. The responsibility of that power would all be in her hands, and grave consequences would await a wrong choice.

She could give up that control. Dread raised the ruby and onyx pendant that hung around her neck; it was shattered down the center. She was free now but her soul was still fragmented. For that was what the pendant contained: the part of her soul that was Bridget, and not Dread. The two had always warred for her body, and she had always struggled to win. But now that her soul, though cracked, was whole again Bridget was vulnerable to the darkness.

If she chose, she could let the darkness consume her completely and all responsibility, fear, and weariness would fall away.

But was such a selfish act worth such sacrifice?

The battle between light and dark raged for hours undetermined until at last she made her decision.

She rose from her bed and exited the room, winding through the corridors until she arrived outside a particular Raven's room. She pushed it open without preamble to find a girl maybe a year older than herself with curly brown hair sitting on her bed. Around the other Raven's head fluttered the shape of a dove, made of silvery-white light that danced and flickered as its mistress whispered to it.

The older girl turned to stare questioningly at Dread. "What do you want?"

Dread allowed the smallest of smiles to touch her face. "I need you to send a message to the X-men."

_**End Part IV**_

**Next up is the concluding chapter of Omen of the Ravens! As you can see, I write fast when I get close to a climax.**

**Oh, and to That-Crazy-Girl-In-Your-Dreams and 4everablackrose: I hope I did your characters credit in this chapter. If they seemed badass, like I was intending in this chapter, please let me know!**

**P.S. That battle scene between Wraith and Dread was inspired while listening to "The Night" by Disturbed. If you want to get the full effect of that scene, listen to the music while reading it.**


	17. Omen of the Ravens: Part V

**The epic conclusion of Omen of the Ravens! Prepare to see some s**t go down! Definitely a solid T rating for some of the language and violence.**

**Omen of the Ravens: Part V**

In a secluded clearing about a mile away from the Sentinel complex, the X-craft idled in cloaked protection as the mutants metaphorically licked their wounds from the battle.

In fact, the awful blast that had broken up the battle had probably been the X-men's saving grace. Despite their previous training against the Raven soldiers, they had still started to fall back as the count of injuries grew higher. Now the teams were huddled in both jets and the Velocity with Beast and Jean hurrying back and forth tending to cuts, burns, sprains, and several broken bones.

In the back of the X-jet, Wraith lay on a cot and stared intently at the ceiling of the plane. After a swift examination he had been left alone, to mutual relief by all parties. His two friends had found him lying in a lethargic state on the walkway of the burned hangar. The only physical injuries to be found were several scratches and a long cut on his face, but he could barely manage to stand on his own. Zenia and Morpheus loitered about nearby, standing by their brother but not fussing over him. Lord knows the dark teen wouldn't appreciate coddling. But now they could tell that he wasn't so still because of weakness anymore, but more stuck in a state of thoughtfulness. Whatever had gone on in that hangar, something was engaging Wraith more than anything else they had seen in their time with him.

In the front of the plane Cyclops was pacing back and forth, agitation clear in his hunched shoulders and stance.

"We can't beat them! At least not like this. Every time, we're the ones charging in blind into unfamiliar territory when they know we're coming; we can't win like that."

Wolverine growled his agreement while the professor, Storm, and Beast all looked weary and distressed. Several of the more leader endowed mutants were also gathered around, like Iceman and StoneHeart as well as most of the senior team of X-men.

StoneHeart shook his head. "The only way to get the advantage over them would be the element of surprise, which is impossible. We don't know where they will strike next, or where the Nest is."

Snarls of frustration echoed around the cockpit, everyone feeling helpless and angry.

Their distraction was enough to excuse the cacophony of screams, yells, and power blasts that went up as a sudden bolt of white light rocketed unexpectedly into the cockpit. An errant optic blast nearly took Torch's head off before the pandemonium settled.

Hovering and drifting around in the center of the group was a bird shaped light, the luminescence eradicating every shadow. It flapped around lazily for a second before reforming into a simple floating orb. It pulsed brightly for a moment before a familiar voice filled the cabin.

"_X-men, I don't expect you to believe that this message isn't a trick, but I have no other way to convince you that this is genuine. It's me, Bridget."_

Mouths dropped open and more of the teams gathered to listen as the voice emitting from the orb continued.

"_I don't have much time, so I'll get right to the point. Time is running out. The binders she has on us that keep us in her control aren't mind control devices; they split the soul. If these devices aren't destroyed soon we'll lose ourselves and will be her slaves forever."_

"_During my fight with Wraith most of my bind was broken, and I was able to make this communication. I can't tell you everything you need to know, but I can give you the location of one of the Nest's entrances."_

Shadowcat snatched up a notepad and wrote the instructions furiously as Dread spouted coordinates.

"_Go to that location and you'll find an old Colonial mansion on the coast of Maine. The main drive is blocked by old iron gates and it sits on a hill overlooking the Atlantic. It's abandoned so security of any kind isn't a problem. I have to warn you, the moment you enter the Nest the defenses will trigger, whether the High Raven knows you're there or not. There will be all kinds of defenses and sidetracks but don't be fooled. All paths in the Nest eventually lead to the Nexus room, where the High Raven resides. Please, we're counting on you; I'll help in any way I can, but you're our only hope of escape."_ The last words were almost indistinguishable as the orb flickered and then vanished like a wisp of smoke.

The cockpit was silent until StoneHeart shook his head. "More likely than not this is a trap."

Jean bit her lip. "I don't know. Her voice seemed too sincere to be lying."

"Whether it's a trap or not we have to listen," snapped Wreck, her eyes gleaming with new anticipation. "I think that the location is real; the sorceress lady is probably trying to lure us in and trap us. But we can't take the risk of not going because of the slightest possibility that this is genuine."

Nods were spreading through the gathered crowd as they all glanced towards Cyclops and the professor. The final decision lay with them after all.

Cyclops rubbed his eyes. "I don't like it. We'll be going in blind again, and we don't know what risks wait there. But this woman is too great a threat; not just to us, but to people everywhere. If she's left to her devices she could amass herself an army large enough to cause tremendous damage. And I can't leave our girls there," he added, also glancing at the three X-girls that were still targeted by Gereh.

The professor nodded. His eyes were very solemn as he took in every one of his students.

"You've all been incredibly brave, but this will be different. We will be walking into the enemy's lair with no idea of what we will be facing. You have all volunteered to be X-men, but you are primarily my students. You have families and lives of your own. This risk doesn't have to be yours."

There was some shuffling, like some were considering the free out they were being offered. Toad and Blob looked about ready to bolt, Magneto's Acolytes probably would have already if not for their leader's command, and Sean Cassidy was shooting looks at his daughter. While he would have been willing to take the risk himself for these girls, he didn't want his daughter involved with this danger.

Nightcrawler was the first speaker. "I won't abandon mein sister when she needs me."

"Remy seconds that Blue Boy," the Cajun nodded.

"Our friend is depending on us, whether this message was real or not," Biofuse murmured. The agreements rose until determined cries filled the cabin. Professor Xavier couldn't be anything but proud, and Logan was grinning wolfishly.

"The people have spoken Chuck," he rumbled in fierce pride and amusement.

XXXXXX

"The X-men are coming," the girl said as her messenger bird returned to her.

"Good, thank you Whisper," Bridget murmured. "Spread the plan among the other Ravens. The final battle is coming."

XXXXXX

The sun was beginning to spread its light over the misty horizon, but even the promise of coming dawn couldn't lift the heavy sense of foreboding that plagued the mutants.

They stood on a stretch of grass lawn, rags of mist and last year's dead brown leaves scattering over the ground like small ghosts. The Colonial house still had a sense of magnificence about it, but the broken windows and decrepit grounds clearly shouted forbidden. They all stared at the black front double doors.

Their team had been reduced by several members. Magneto had sent his Acolytes away, Toad, Pyro and Blob following. While they did care for Wanda, they couldn't handle this level of intense risk; well, perhaps Pyro could, but he'd probably get himself killed. Several X-men with greater injuries from the last fight had also returned to the mansion, among them Flex, Cyclone, Multiple Man, Sun Spot, Jubilee, Proxy, and Avalanche. Beast had also returned to tend to their hurt students.

The silent standoff was broken by their Fearless Leader squaring his shoulders and marching forward. Silently, they fell in behind their leader as they converged on the forbidden entrance to the unknown.

Cyclops shivered as he laid his hand on the doorknob, which was as cold as ice. He could feel his team behind him and Jean's support in his mind, but it felt too much like Apocalypse. They had barely made it out of that disaster; who's to say that they would not fail this time? He gritted his teeth; the girls were depending on him: Rogue, Bridget, Aqua, Amara, Amy, Wanda. They couldn't fail them. New determination flooded him as he wrenched open the door.

They filed quietly into the front hall. It wasn't what they had expected. The entry hall was too…normal. Dusty carpets and chandeliers, several nondescript doors in the walls. The doors shut with a quiet click behind them as the last of their team filed in. He could feel the apprehension filling everyone else as they saw the supposed innocence of their surroundings.

"Don't be fooled; remember, this place is a maze of traps," he said, hoping that this was in fact the right place. They couldn't deny the possibility that this was a wild goose chase. "Professor, Jean, is there anyone nearby?"

"I do not know Scott. I can't sense anyone, but this place is clouding my telepathy; it's like trying to see through a thick fog."

"Well isn't that just great," Scott muttered. They had lost yet another defense against this supernatural being.

"I suppose the only option is to move forward," StoneHeart said quietly. They all knew it, but no one wanted to do it. At last, Cyclops motioned them all forward and they started down the hall.

Panting breaths and creaking floorboards and joints were the only sounds. But certain people, strangely enough the energy converters, were getting jittery the farther down the hall they went.

Dynamo and Black Diamond, who were near the rear of the pack, were both as tense as wooden planks. Alex wouldn't stop shaking his head and Tsarina's lip was curling.

"Something's coming. The energy in this place is all whacked out, like its charging up," Alex hissed fearfully. His green eyes were darting about, and so he was the only one to see the flicker. It looked like…he gulped. For a moment, he could have sworn eyes were peering at him out of the wall mirror.

A deafening creak rumbled the hallway as suddenly the walls spilt apart and _lunged_.

"Look out!" He knocked Black Diamond backwards as a whole wall, splintering the floorboards and kicking up dust as it went, swung out like a revolving door and cut the group in half.

"Move!" He grabbed Tsarina's arm and ran, trying to stay ahead of the frigging WALL chasing them. He could hear yells of shock but he could no longer see any of his teammates besides Black Diamond.

The wall was steadily gaining on them, and he didn't know where he was going. It felt like running through a black tunnel; all he could see were flying woodchips and even more walls closing in on them. Then he caught a glimpse of grey light. Without a word between them, the two young X-men put on a new burst of speed and charged for the light. They leapt free of the rapidly closing passage just in time. With an ominous boom, the walls clashed together and shut.

The two sat panting on the floor, staring at the killer walls that were now silent and still.

At last, Dynamo looked to his obviously only companion. They had been completely cut off from the rest of group.

"You okay?" he asked the dark haired girl.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a few splinters."

They both clambered to their feet and took in their new surroundings. They were in another hallway, but this one was narrower and with higher ceilings. Ceiling high windows lined the left wall, but they couldn't see anything beyond the glass panes beside banks of fog. The right wall was lined with paintings, all of a grisly nature. The closed passage behind them had completely resealed, with no crack or abrasion to be seen; simply a blank dead end. The only way to go was forward.

They cast glances at each other. Letting out an anxious puff of breath, Dynamo cracked his knuckles and they both walked on. Nothing to worry about, he said to himself: all paths lead to the Nexus room.

It was those paths that were worrying him though.

XXXXXX

"Dammit!" yelled Cyclops as he pounded on the sealed wall behind him. He should have suspected a trap that would separate them. In the confusion of the self-rearranging hallway he had lost track of most of his team. The only people still with him were the professor, Nightcrawler, Wreck, and Torch. What scared him greatly was how he didn't know what had happened to Jean.

"There is nothing to be done now Scott. They must remember their training and continue on as best as they can. Whether this was a trap, I believe that the words stating that all paths lead to the center are true," the professor reassured him.

"Let's just hope that none of them got stuck on their own," Torch said.

Scott rolled his neck and turned back to the path that the Nest had chosen for them. It wasn't so much a path as a series of crisscrossing stairways that led up and out of sight. With a new doggedness to his steps, the leader began to ascend, Nightcrawler teleporting the professor up to each landing as Wreck and Torch followed behind.

The climb seemed endless, almost like a torture system. The only noises were their own breath, their feet slapping on the stone steps, and the sound of Kurt teleporting every minute or so. It was like Chinese water torture made a thousand times worse.

When the faint sound of flapping started, Scott thought he was losing his mind. But when the dry, leathery sound became steadily louder and louder he knew that more trouble was coming their way. He put a hand to his visor and peered around, waiting.

The dribble of slobber on his head was enough to tip him off as to where exactly their opponent was lurking. They all peered up slowly.

"HOLY SHIT!" screamed Torch as the horse-sized, wolf-headed vampire bat fell towards them, shrieking loudly, it's huge wings kicking up hurricanes. Red eyes glared and fangs bristled as it closed in.

XXXXXX

"Merde," growled Gambit as he led his group through the weaving hallway they had been herded into. The sentiment was repeated behind him by Rapport, Wolfsbane, Zenia, Morpheus, and Colossus. They had been walking for quite a while with no bad luck, but they were all smart enough to know trouble was coming. There was no way it could be this easy.

They emerged from their corridor into a circular room. Around the walls were several doors, all identical and all closed. The cobblestone floor of the room was dark with dirt.

The group stared apprehensively at the room's greatest ornament. A glowing tree (no joke) waved and blew about to a wind only it could feel apparently. Shimmering, iridescent tendrils drifted in the air like torn spider webs. The mutants stared at it warily for several minutes, but it didn't do anything.

Gambit at last whispered to his group, still not trusting that tree. "Split up an' check the doors. Try to find one that we can use."

They all inched along the walls, staying as far as possible away from the tree. Gambit jiggled one of the doorknobs; locked. The others seemed to be getting the same results.

Then Rapport whispered across the room. "I think I got it."

Apparently those were the magic words. With a sound like a whip crack, one of the tree's tendrils shot out like a snake and wrapped around Rapport's upper arm. The young teen screamed in agony as he was wrenched through the air, the sound of bone snapping reverberating awfully through the room.

"Let de kid go!" the Cajun snarled, throwing three charged cards at the pearly trunk.

The tree shuddered before the trunk twisted and opened up like a flower. The X-men stared momentarily dumbstruck at the mutant girl at its center. Root-like extensions sprung from her arms, back, and legs, while tiny glowing threads grew out from her face, all of which were connected to the tree. Her skin was made of the same glowing opal texture, and her eyes were flat silver. Her hair rattled like dry leaves in a breeze.

Her liquid eyes glared at them and the tree rattled again. "Willow will snap the little one in half like a dry twig."

Rapport screamed wildly again as more of the gleaming, sentient branches wrapped around him, dangling him high in the air. The branches glowed white-hot and he yelled as they burned him while also slowly crushing him in their tangled web.

"Get him down!" yelled Gambit as they all charged the tree/mutant. Rapport had turned into something of an apprentice to him, and he was a good kid. Hearing his torture enraged the young demon-eyed man. The Ace of Clubs and four of diamonds shone blood-red before he threw them upward, trying to sever the ties holding the younger empath.

A sudden weight knocked him to the floor as a pair of sleekly muscled legs clamped his arms to his side.

"Ah ah, no ya don't Swamp Rat."

XXXXXX

"We should turn left."

"Who put you in charge? We're goin' right!"

StoneHeart and Shadowcat shook their heads. It was rather surreal to see Magneto and Wolverine quarreling over the direction like an old couple, but they didn't feel like getting into the middle of it. Nymph and Copycat were shuffling on the edge of the group, glancing nervously behind them and waiting for an ambush. Wraith sat silent and stared down the fork in the path with a blank face. Pietro was tapping his foot so quickly he sounded like Thumper from Bambi.

"Should I flip a coin?" the speedster glared at his father and the Wolverine. He wanted to find his sister; even if they got along as well as cats and dogs, he still cared about his twin.

At last, Wraith shoved past the two older men and took the left corridor. He cocked his eyes towards the teenagers in the group.

"Coming? We will get to the center no matter which way we go," he shot back and disappeared. The young mutants scrambled after him, the elder men growling at each other in the rear.

They twisted around a few times until they reached yet another fork in the path.

"Now which way?" Nymph asked. She didn't like just choosing paths randomly, and Wraith tended to choose the darker hallways.

"Right," Emilian said without hesitation.

"And why?" growled Logan.

"Because the left hallway would be an extremely bad idea." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, and they saw what he meant. Rushing towards them from the left corridor was a tidal wave of black goop.

"Good point kid," Wolverine conceded as they all took off down the right hand passage, the wave of black matter pouring down after them. Magneto was able to hold up a magnetic shield for a time before the matter forced its way past and continued to chase them.

StoneHeart glanced back for a moment, and it was lucky he did. He skidded to a halt.

"Magneto!" he cried. "Hold it still for a moment. Nymph, reach branches in there!"

The wave froze for an instant, and that was all the time Nymph needed. Thrusting her hand out, a small ivy plant decorating the old hallway grew huge as it reached deep into the goop. A loud sucking noise was heard as something small was yanked out of the mass. The moment it was freed the wave of dark matter collapsed into pool.

"_What is it?" _Copycat signed to them, her hair rippling as Pietro reappeared. He had been a good few hallways ahead of them before he decided to go back and help. Wraith sneered at him and the speedster had the decency to blush.

StoneHeart picked up the goo-covered object and they all started. In the tall boy's arms was a petite girl, no older than eight or nine years old. Her inky black hair was plastered to her forehead and her eyes seemed glued shut with the thick fluid. She wiggled and tried to push away, but Masato caught her. He fingered the still-sparkly hairclip locked in her hair. His fingers easily crushed the soul trap. The tiny girl shuddered and went limp.

"One down," murmured StoneHeart.

XXXXXX

Jean was worried: worried about Scott, worried about her teammates, worried about the group she was leading, and just worried in general.

Their path had been relatively straight, taking a few curves here and there and leading up or down a staircase, and they had seen neither hide nor hair of the Ravens.

But their current problem was less of an offensive problem, but more the fact that they had hit a dead end with nowhere to go.

"Should we turn back?" she asked Storm and Banshee, who both looked as frustrated as she felt. Siryn and Eclipse groaned at the thought of retracing their lengthy path, and Iceman and Cannonball sighed tiredly.

"We're never gonna find our way through this mess!" Bobby moaned, leaning back against a hallway table.

As he did, the room tilted. And not minimally, the room literally flipped upside down until the X-men found themselves falling down a very long shaft.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Deafening screams, but not of fear, bounded around the shaft. Bobby felt slim hands wrap around his upper torso as the scream continued. Suddenly he wasn't falling anymore, more like coasting down the very, VERY deep shaft. He looked up and saw Siryn letting out the massive sound. So great was it that the force of the noise kept them from plummeting down like rocks. He saw Eclipse being lowered by Jean's telekinesis while the others glided, floated, or rocketed downwards.

They reached the ground and Bobby dropped on his butt with gasps of panicked breaths, Patrick doing much the same nearby.

"Well," Jean exclaimed, "that was an adventure. Thanks for showing us the way Bobby." She grinned slightly as he sputtered wordlessly, clearly still shell shocked at the sudden tumble he had sent them on.

"There's the way," Banshee indicated, slightly out of breath as he motioned to the door.

"Isn't it a little weird that they put a door down here when the fall was supposed to kill us?" Eclipse asked.

"Very intriguing question child," Storm said with a hint of exasperation. "We should contemplate it when all of this is over."

XXXXXX

"Does this remind anyone of Ghostbusters?" Boom Boom asked her teammates as they stared at the hallway they were now to take. It resembled, for lack of a better metaphor, a Twizzler. The hallway started out normal until the walls replaced where the ceiling and floor should have been, and then the floor and ceiling switched places. It continued to twist all the way down to the end a very fair distance away.

Reflect was the first to test it out, stepping out. It seemed safe, so he continued on followed by Berserker, Prism, Boom Boom, and Waver.

"Whoa, what a trip!" exclaimed Berserker as their feet stayed glued to the floor until they were walking upside down on the floor (re: ceiling). "If this wasn't the lair of a crazy immortal witch, this would make an awesome haunted house."

"Which way do we go?" asked Waver. "There are doors everywhere."

She was right. The twisting corridor was lined with doors and the end of the hallway was a blind.

"Try them out, but be prepared for anything," Reflect said.

Prism did just that, opening the door closest to her. It was only open for a moment, but the flames that burst out of it had enough time to burn the front of her hair before Shiloh slammed it shut again.

"Damn, I think I opened the doorway to Hell for a moment," she winced as her hair returned to its perfectly silver-blonde and slightly curled state.

Reflect corrected his former words. "Be prepared for anything and be **very **careful."

The surprises behind the doors certainly were interesting. Berserker had screamed like a little girl and only had just enough time to slam the door before a herd of Labrador sized Black Widows could come pouring into the hallway. Waver opened her doors while invisible, and was thus able to get a good look at a monster that might have been used in the movie Cloverfield. Boom Boom nearly fell into empty sky.

"How many more doors left?" Tabitha asked.

Reflect peered down the hallway. "We've done about a third of them."

Simultaneous groans were heard.

XXXXXX

"Hope you don't mind my saying this, but I'm pretty sure we've entered mind-fuck central."

"Thank you for summing it up Jon," Oceana said, trying to find her way through the mirror maze and only managing to smack her head on the fifth blind lead in three minutes.

"We are getting nowhere fast," Biofuse growled. "I do not want to risk breaking the mirrors in case I set something off.

Jon was staring around, trying not to be distracted by the millions of reflections of him that were staring back at him. Something was bugging him, but he didn't know what it was.

Then he froze. Two familiar scents were reaching his nose: a soothing perfume of sea spray and cherry blossom, and a flowery smell with a hint of ozone.

"Duck!" He yelled, knocking the other two down. A bolt of lightning tore through the mirror maze, sending a rain of shattered glass down on them. In the mirrors that did remain, the reflections of a blonde girl with hands crackling with electricity and a black haired beauty with fire wreathing her glared at them.

"You two," Barricade yelled at Biofuse and Oceana, "follow Sparks and I'll get Elementress!"

He took off into the revealed passage, hearing Aqua's steps crunching over the glass shards as she fled from him.

"Aqua, stop!" He couldn't help but yell even though he knew it was hopeless. Jon suddenly skidded to a halt. He had run to a cliff of all things, and only a thin stone bridge without rails spanned the cloudy depths below. Aqua was nowhere to be seen.

"Aqua?" He stepped onto the bridge, searching cloud and sky for her.

He realized his mistake too late as the bridge began to crumble beneath him. Elementress appeared, hovering in the air as the winds upheld their mistress and her hand was outstretched, cracking the bridge.

Desperate, Jon tried something he didn't know would even work. Concentrating hard, he focused his physical shield just below him. Just as the bridge fell apart he dropped onto his shield, standing in thin air with relief.

Elementress' eyes glowed with fury and power, and she raised up her arms. Out of nowhere a tornado of fire sprang to life and roared towards him. He narrowed his eyes, focusing the rest of his shielding to encase him. The fire rolled past him without even a hint of its heat.

"Aqua, please stop this! I know you're in there somewhere!" he cried as he ran towards her through the air, always keeping his shield below him. He wouldn't be able to do this for long, so he had to do this quick.

"Of course I'm here Jonothan!" she yelled suddenly. "Do you think I'm doing this against my will? No! Gereh may have taken me, but I'm tired of the ridicule we suffered because of humans and the hurt we endured to beat back mutants like Magneto. Gereh is trying to make this world peaceful for everyone."

"By killing? Aqua, even if she isn't completely wrong, I know you would never do something like this," he exclaimed, stopping before her in midair. He was beginning to sweat from the strain of holding his shield below him.

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you thought," she said quietly. "You're my best friend Jonothan, and I'm doing it for you and the world. A few months ago, Magneto was almost the cause of your death. I won't let people like him pollute this world," she growled as her eyes began to glow again. "And no one, not even you, will stop me."

Jonothan knew he had run out of time. His shield was giving out and she was about to blast him from the air. He could only think of one thing to do. With a last burst of strength flooding to his shield, Barricade lunged forward, wrapped his arms around Aqua, and kissed her hard and good on the mouth.

It was perhaps the only thing that could have distracted Elementress enough to pause her. It was just enough time for Barricade to find what he was looking for. With a wrench, he pulled the jeweled hair tie from her black and blue locks and snapped it in half just as his shield gave out and he fell.

Aqua yelled loudly as she curled in on herself, the winds billowing around her as her soul pieced back together. Her silvery-blue eyes shot open again.

"Jon!" she cried and rocketed downward to the falling figure. With a desperate lunge, she grabbed hold of his hand and used gale force winds to bring them back up.

They landed in a tangle on the cliff, both panting. After a moment she turned to her best friend who was gazing at her in a mix of relief and…Aqua fought the urge to blush at the tenderness in his green eyes.

"I'm so sorry Jon. I don't…"

"It's alright," he said, brushing an errant strand of hair from her face. "I know you sometimes really feel that way; that all of Xavier's hopes won't amount to anything, that people like Magneto deserve what they get. But that doesn't matter. What does matter is that you still choose the high road and follow the dream even if you have doubts. That's the Aqua I know and love."

She started a bit. "L-love?"

He grinned charmingly as his face moved closer to hers. "Of course."

Despite the danger of their position and the struggle that still lay before them, Jon and Aqua could at least spare a few moments for a kiss.

XXXXXX

The silent hallway seemed fairly deserted, which was good testimony to Black Diamond's stealth skills.

"Keep your weight balanced in your waist and all throughout your legs, not just in your feet," she whispered. She demonstrated for her single companion by shooting across the hall into the next sheltered alcove with the speed and stealth of a cat.

Dynamo followed to the best of his ability, which wasn't half bad. "Where did you learn all of this?"

She rolled her eyes, almost playfully. "Was I the only one that paid attention during Rogue's stealth classes?" She suddenly stiffened. Her shifting gaze darted down the hall, and she motioned to him. "Hurry!" she hissed.

Dynamo dove into the tight little alcove and they both froze, partly because of what was coming and partly because they were pressed like sardines in the tiny space.

Down the hall drifted a mutant girl of about eighteen or nineteen, floating down the passage like a ghost. Her eyes shone white and cast searchlights up and down the hall. The two X-men pressed tighter to the wall as the searchlights just missed them and the eerie watcher disappeared around the corner.

They relaxed slightly until Black Diamond yelped slightly and glared at Dynamo.

"You're crushing my foot," she growled.

"Sorry!" He tried to readjust himself in the cramped space, but his feet tangled and he ended up falling against her and pinning her to the wall.

"Ow!" she said, spitting out a tuft of his blonde hair as they tried to get out of the knot they had tied themselves into. With a rather strong shove, she propelled him out of the alcove where he landed with a thud on his ass.

Dynamo blushed as he scrambled up again, trying to reclaim his dignity and be courteous as he offered her a hand out of the tight space. She accepted it graciously and didn't mention the unseemly moment again as they continued down the hall.

They pushed open the newest set of doors to find themselves in a gigantic library. Rows and rows of massive bookshelves created a maze, at the center of which was a circular space with marble floors beneath a glass dome.

"Which way do we go to get out?" Alex asked, scanning around. He got no response and he turned to her. Her hand shot out, telling him not to move. She pointed upwards silently.

He looked up at the glass dome and cringed. What had looked like just more fog before, Alex now saw that gallons and gallons of water were swirling and ebbing above them, only held back by a few inches of glass.

Tsarina beckoned him forward with a wave of her hand and he inched towards her, trying to use the stealth tips she had given him. The splintering sound of glass told him that stealth wouldn't help much.

They dived away as a column of water that could crush their bones to powder thundered down into the library.

"Alex!" Tsarina cried, grabbing a hold of his hand just before they were pounded by the surging waves.

He gripped tight to her gloved hand as they were tossed like leaves in the current, coming up for a moment before being slammed back down again. His lungs were burning with oxygen deprivation. His head filled with stars as the current knocked his head against the submerged marble floor.

At last they came up, being swept along so quickly that they couldn't manage to grip the bookcases and stop themselves.

Tsarina's sudden cry of fear sent a jolt up Dynamo's spine. He flicked his soaking bangs from his eyes and saw that a door had opened. The current flowed through it and spilled in a waterfall to interminable depths.

"Swim to the left!" he yelled as they both paddled furiously. They wrenched free of the current just as they were swept out the door, and their fingers just caught the precipice edge before they tumbled to oblivion.

Grunting, the sopping wet pair hauled themselves up and leaned against a thin trail snaking along an otherwise smooth cliff face. Dynamo closed his eyes; he didn't think he could take much more of this.

Suddenly, Alex felt Tsarina nudging his side. He opened his eyes.

"Look," she pointed. His eyes followed her finger to behold a bright light far off in the mist. He felt a sense of excitement when he beheld it.

"Do you think it's the Nexus room?" he asked.

"I don't know, but we should head for it."

They got up and began to worm their precarious way along the tiny trail. Alex fought back the nausea in his stomach.

"God I hate heights."

She gave him a pitying glance. "Then I don't envy you our trip down the next step of the path."

He peeked and moaned again.

Stone pillars rose out of the mist below them to come level with the cliff trail. On top of the pillars were stone platforms that were about five feet wide, five long. It was apparent that to get to the Nexus they would have to jump across these.

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"We can make it Alex. The jumps are not too hard, and we're so close. Your sister is depending on you," she murmured.

That was what clinched his resolve. He couldn't let heights keep him from saving Maddie. He nodded stoically and she responded with a small smile. It was odd, but Black Diamond seemed far friendlier in dangerous situations.

To reassure him, Black Diamond took the first jump. It wasn't far and she landed smoothly. He followed in her steps exactly as they made slow progress over the massive chasm.

After what seemed like hours of precarious forward movement, Tsarina turned back to him.

"We are almost there," she called back.

"But you won't get there," snarled a voice that was familiar to Alex.

Eternal, who was unmistakably Maddie Rogers, leapt down onto the last platform before the slope leading up to the Nexus light. Her talons glinted as she advanced on them in a predator's prowl.

Dynamo came level with Black Diamond. "You go on. I need to face her, and someone needs to make it to the Nexus."

To Black Diamond's credit, she didn't immediately refuse the sensible plan, but she whispered back. "Will you be able fight her?"

"I don't want anyone else doing this. She's my sister," he said back. She nodded, whispered 'good luck', and blasted a black beam towards Eternal. The Raven dodged it easily, but it gave Tsarina the opening she needed to dart past and sprint up the hill towards the light.

Eternal ignored her. "Gereh wants her anyway. This is between you and me brother."

"Why Maddie? Why are you so angry with me?" Alex asked as he got into a fighting stance.

"Because I want you to see that I'm not the helpless little sister anymore." She sneered contemptuously. "It was always Alex: big strong mutant, Dad's golden son, off to save the world with the X-men. You were always the hero, and I was always the one left behind. Not anymore!"

Alex had just enough time to realize that all that she was saying was true, and to be stung by it, before she pounced.

XXXXXX

An optic blast knocked the bat away yet again. Scott snarled; no matter how many times they knocked the giant vermin away, it kept coming back. They had made slow progress up the endless staircase with the massive bat diving at them over and over again.

A column of fire swirled through the air, causing the bat to veer away again. Torch scowled at the creature and sent fireball after fireball hurtling towards the monster, most of them making perfect contact. The bat screamed angrily at the red haired boy. Wreck and Nightcrawler were covering the professor as well as they could as Cyclops and Torch battled the creature.

The bat suddenly veered downward with a new swiftness and dove toward Torch with shocking ferocity. Torch's cry of pain turned into a yell of terror as within a few seconds the bat's wolf teeth dug into his shoulder and dragged him over the edge of the stair banister and out into the air. The height they had climbed would have put them twenty stories up at least. When the bat dropped him, certain death was inevitable.

"Kurt, help him!" the professor yelled over Torch's shrieks as the bat clawed at him and tore into his shoulder. His hands spurted fire, singing the bat's fur, but Lyle was growing too weak to fight as his blood rained down toward the floor far below.

With a 'bamf' Nightcrawler appeared in thin air, his face contorted in a snarl of his own. With a mighty shove, he drove a sharp piece of broken banister into the bat's eye. The creature howled and dropped Torch. With another bamf, Nightcrawler reappeared holding his bleeding teammate.

"That's it! This ends now," Scott bit out. He ripped off his glasses and allowed his full power free rein. It slammed the bat into the wall. Its howls grew in a crescendo as the hot plasma burned it. At last, the wailing stopped and Cyclops closed his eyes. The blackened carcass of the bat twitched and fell down, down, until they heard it crash to the ground.

Cyclops hurried over to where Nightcrawler and Wreck were kneeling over Lyle. His face was growing pale, and sweat was shining on his upper lip as he gasped between his teeth. Blood stained the shoulder of his uniform and dripped onto the stairs.

"It's alright mein freund," Nightcrawler said as supported the other teen's head, trying to keep Torch from hyperventilating at the terrible pain.

"Calm down Torch." Cyclops tried to be soothing as he pushed the younger man's head back down so he wouldn't see all the blood. The professor, his eyes closed as he tried to calm his injured X-man, handed them a roll of bandages kept in a compartment in his wheelchair. Scott took them and tried to wrap up the mauled shoulder, as Wreck helped keep Torch still. The bandage began to stain quickly, but he kept wrapping it until the blood flow began to slow.

Lyle moaned in pain, but his eyes were still open. "So I get my first battle scar. Lucky me," he chuckled weakly.

"Can you go on? I don't think we can get out again until the sorceress is beaten."

"I'll make it Scott; just give me a hand."

The pyrokinetic gasped as Nightcrawler and Cyclops hauled him to his feet and supported his shaking frame between them.

"Hold on Lyle," the professor soothed, looking up. "We're almost there." They were almost to the light.

XXXXXX

Despite the situation, Gambit couldn't help but feel a twinge of relief. Rogue, even if she was fighting against him, was safe. But for now, one of his team needed him and Rogue was blocking the way.

With a twist of his hips and torso that a contortionist would have been proud of, he managed to grab hold of Rogue by her long sleeves and slammed her to the floor. She writhed about like an eel trying to get loose but he was stronger than she. Gambit could see that the rest of his group was engaged in fighting a female Terminator mutant with a metal scorpion tail, or else was trying to get Rapport down from the tree.

Inspiration suddenly sparked, and the Cajun yelled to Morpheus. "Morpheus, talk to de Willow!" He was then occupied as Rogue started bucking and twisting again, while he tried to find the soul binder on her.

Morpheus nodded and let his honeyed words roll off his tongue, Zenia fighting off the other mutant girl at his back.

The effect was instantaneous. The ferocious rattling that the mutant Willow had been making died down and her illuminated face grew slack. The Terminator girl and Rogue also began to grow still.

Remy found the emerald ring that was holding her good side captive. Slipping it carefully from her bared finger, he charged it and threw it into their air where it detonated with a pop. Rogue grew slack beneath him.

Willow's branches also went limp, and an equally boneless Rapport dropped with a thump to the ground. Gambit hurried over; he winced when he saw the kid up close. Cauterized lacerations from the burning twigs tattooed his arms, neck and legs, and around them angry purple-red swellings were puffing up. There must have been some kind of light toxin in the branches. His left arm was clearly broken and dislocated, and the poor kid was panting rapidly through clenched teeth.

He picked up the boy as gently as he could, trying to spare his injuries as much as possible. He turned and watched as his group freed the mutants that had attacked them. Willow, now free of control, stared in horror at Rapport as the demon tree withered around her.

"Remy?" His head whipped toward the sweet southern voice. She staggered blearily toward him, before taking in her surroundings and the limp teen in Gambit's arms. Her mouth opened in a silent 'o' before anger and awful realization spread over her face. "Oh God…"

"It's alright cherie. It wasn't your fault; none o' dese girls are to blame."

Rogue, now wearing her gloves, brushed a bit of hair from David's unconscious face. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"I don' know Rogue. The sooner we end this and get outta here, the better."

"We can help," came a soft voice. He turned to Willow and the Terminator girl, who had changed back to the flesh form of a tall Latino girl with a white Mohawk.

Willow's eyes didn't leave the limp David as she spoke, remorse and self-loathing in her eyes, but determination was in her voice. "We can lead you on the fastest path to the Nexus."

Gambit nodded to them. "Lead de way."

XXXXXX

"Are you sure this is the right way?"

StoneHeart had finally had it. He glared at Wolverine, who was acting more immature than most of the teens on this mission. "The girl has been held here for who knows how long; she should know better than you which way to go," he snapped.

His teacher raised an eyebrow at him, but StoneHeart caught a hint of amused respect in the older man's eye. He turned back to Black Matter, who was moving rapidly through the corridors in bouncy little girl steps. She turned around and waved them on.

"Come on, we're almost there."

A sudden tremendous blast of sound ripped the wall open in front of them. Adamantium claws came out, shadows reared, a magnetic shield was thrown up, and Copycat, StoneHeart, and Quicksilver prepared to fight.

From the dust of the hole, a muscular blonde man emerged. He grinned at the battle-ready group before him.

"Feeling tense?" Banshee cocked his head and beckoned the small crowd behind her. His daughter, Storm and Jean, and Iceman and Eclipse slipped out. Cannonball came last.

Wolverine allowed his claws to slide back in. "Good to see ya. Have a good time in the demented funhouse?"

"A room turned upside down on us and we fell down a shaft," Eclipse griped.

"I guess so," Wolverine snorted. He saw the newly joined group eyeing Black Matter. "This is Riley, or Black Matter. She's leading us to the Nexus."

"Yes, and we're close. Hurry," the little girl called as she hurried off down the corridor again, the enlarged group of X-men and Brotherhood followed after her.

XXXXXX

Reflect was a reasonably fair individual, at least among his teammates, but he had to say he blamed Boom Boom for this.

"Just keep running!" he yelled at his team. They had found the right doorway, but the giant snake now chasing them was doing a decent job as guardian.

"Reflect!" Prism cried. "Doorway ahead!"

They hurtled forward and crashed through the door.

"Stop!" Reflect grabbed Berserker around the torso before he hurtled over the edge of the cliff. They all piled in a group, teetering on the edge of the precipice. After a few moments they all fell back, Waver knocking the door closed as she landed. At least the snake wouldn't be able to follow them.

"Where did a freaking cliff come from?" Berserker asked.

"No idea." They all whipped around to see Oceana and Biofuse approaching them along a narrow path.

Prism sighed in relief. "I thought we would never find anyone else in this madhouse. Where have you been?"

Biofuse rubbed a hand through his hair. "We got stuck in a maze of mirrors. Barricade was also with us, but we came across Elementress and Sparks. He went after Aqua and we haven't seen them since. We weren't able to catch up with Sparks either."

"Hey, check it out!" Berserker pointed. They all looked to the light shining high above them beyond the chasm.

"I think that must be the Nexus." They all nodded in agreement with Nikolai. A sudden tension caused them to freeze. This was it; the final throw down. It was either succeed or fail now, and they weren't sure which one it would be.

XXXXXX

"Only a little farther I think."

"Thank God," Aqua muttered as Jon pulled her up the last ledge of boulders. They stared at the ominous entrance to the Nexus. The entry Aqua could remember had been nothing like this. Before it had simply been double doors leading into a large circular room; now it was a towering black archway that loomed up beyond their sight. The light was coming from the opening in the center of the arch: a purplish white glow that was hard to look at for its brightness.

Aqua squinted forward. "Jon, I think I can see the others." She pointed to the large gathering of figures at the base of the archway.

"Let's hurry." They sprinted forward towards the gathering, hand in hand.

Cyclops turned as they were hailed by two voices. Further relief swept him as he saw Barricade and Elementress running towards them. He looked around. Almost everyone was here now; ready to enter the inner sanctum. Only Dynamo and Black Diamond were missing. This worried him, but they couldn't wait for them.

"All right everyone," he called grimly to the crowd. "This is it. This is just like Apocalypse: we face terrible odds, but we can come out on top. These girls are depending on us, and we'll fight to the end to free them."

Shouts of defiance went up, even from the injured mutants. He nodded, turned, and stepped into the archway with his team following.

When they emerged on the other side, they saw towering walls reaching into darkness and huge windows revealing nothing but blackness. Torches flickered menacingly on the walls. But the room was empty.

Suddenly a blast of terror seized them all and they fell, gasping and crying. Out of the shadows stepped a sneering face framed by ash blonde hair.

"Bridget!" Oceana cried, horror lancing through her as she saw the contempt in her one time friend's eyes. What they had most feared was true. _"It just cannot be true!" _Dala thought.

Dread's leer grew. "Of course. You knew perfectly well this could be a trap; I don't know why you're so surprised. Really, you X-men don't have many brain cells to rub together do you?"

"Why Bridget?" Cyclops growled. "You were family to us, we cared about you. Why are you turning on us?"

"Because Scott," she snapped back, "I thought the X-men were family too. I trusted you and all you ever did was let me down. I nearly died once for the X-men, and you couldn't give me what I needed most."

Wraith spoke up unexpectedly, eyeing her with curiosity only. "But you do have it, that control now. When we fought and our powers clashed I felt it."

Her cold hazel gaze turned to him now. "Yes, I did find that control. And you know what? It was even worse than not being in control. I knew what I was capable of, what I could do with this kind of power. I didn't want that responsibility only to destroy with it."

"You're destroyin' right now!" Rogue yelled. "Teaming up with that witch is your idea of the right choice?"

Bridget sighed, and she actually looked sad. "Rogue, if you got control over your powers and could use every mutant power you ever absorbed at will, wouldn't you be afraid you'd mess up? That making a wrong choice could harm so many people? Gereh's cause may not be pure white, but it will keep me under control and will make sure no radicals like Magneto," she glared at him, "can doom mankind with war. This is my only choice."

"Well said my daughter," hissed that hated voice. Gereh slid from the shadows, along with the rest of her Ravens. She approached Dread and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"Dread here will be the greatest among my Ravens. Her power is great, and she knows what her fate is. With her support, many more shall be rallied to our cause." She motioned over her shoulder. The X-men gasped when they saw Black Diamond standing among their ranks and leering at them.

"Dread has proven herself a worthy second in command, especially when she told me that she was bringing the X-men right into our Nest. Such an intelligent girl knew you wouldn't refuse help if she asked for it. And here you are, weakened by your travels through our home, and outnumbered severely," she said, almost with a giddy pleasure.

"This is the end X-men." She motioned to Dread. "Finish them."

Dread grinned horribly. "My pleasure," she chirped and raised her arm. The X-men braced themselves for the blast.

XXXXXX

Dynamo scrambled up the hill as fast as his feet could carry him. He tried not to think of how he had blasted Maddie into the rocks, leaving her with a burn large enough to keep her regenerating for a while. He needed to help the X-men; he knew in his gut that they were in danger.

He reached the archway and flung himself through. He bit back a cry at what he saw.

The X-men knelt defeated before the Ravens, with Tsarina among them, as Dread prepared to blast them down.

With an enraged battle cry, Alex flung himself forward and knocked Dread to the ground.

All hell broke loose as fighting exploded in the Nexus, screams and yells and blasts going up.

Dread twisted wildly beneath him. "Let me go Alex!"

"No!" He slammed her back to the floor. "How could you do this, how could you turn on us?" He shook her for emphasis.

Her hazel eyes were wide and kept darting into the battle. "Alex no, you don't understand!"

"Understand what?" He snarled. "That we were willing to risk our lives for you? That we were trying to save you?"

"No! Please Alex, let me up, I have to get a clear shot at her."

"W-what?" he paused in confusion as the battle raged around them.

"Alex, it was a double trick. Gereh would never have let you near the Nexus if I didn't tell her it was a trap! I'm on your side, please trust me!" Her eyes pleaded with him.

He glared furiously. "Why should I believe you if you've already tried that 'trust me' bullshit on us already?"

"Alex, this is the only way to stop her. She can't die like we can; please, only my powers can stop her. She'll kill us all if you don't trust me!"

Dynamo paused. If she was lying, then she could destroy them all. But she said that the High Raven couldn't die by conventional means; they would all be killed anyway.

Dread felt his grip slacken. Gratitude and tears welled up; he trusted her. "Thank you Alex."

With a roar she surged up. Gereh was blasting her friends, no, her family, away from her. Dread narrowed her eyes and concentrated.

Gereh screamed suddenly and fell backwards, holding her head. Everyone looked to her, the X-men shocked. The room grew quiet. Slowly, more than half the Ravens grinned and broke away from their mistress, filing over to stand beside Dread. One by one, each girl threw down a broken piece of jewelry until a small pile of them rose up. They stood in horizontal ranks behind the mistress of fear.

Bridget glared at the immortal woman. "I was too blind to see what you were, too desperate for control to see what I already had. But now you're the blind one. You didn't notice when I started breaking the soul binders on most of the Ravens. I knew you would snap up that 'trap' I was setting for my family. It was too easy. I knew you would put our strongest mutants and ambushes out to face them, just like I knew the X-men would be able to break their controls."

"Give it up Gereh. You've lost half your force and we're at the Nexus of the Nest. There's nowhere for you to go."

Gereh stood tall and proud, even now. She cocked her head at the tiny girl.

"You are cunning Dread. You would make a fine sorceress."

"Maybe I would, but I'll never serve you or anyone like you again."

"I suppose not."

The sudden magic blast sent the defected Ravens scattering over the room. The X-men roared and charged forward. Another bright red blast sent half of them hurtling backwards.

Zenia reached her first, swiping at her head but the sorceress was fast. She twisted out of the way and backhanded the shape shifter to the ground. She dodged Gambit's Bo staff and Wolverine's claws and lashed out with her own talons. They reeled back away from her, but one wasn't fast enough. Gereh snagged Dynamo by the front of his uniform and dragged him forward. The flash of the dagger was too quick to see, but they all saw the shock freeze Alex's face.

All Alex could sum up was surprise. He had felt the cool blade slide through his skin, between his ribs, and tearing into the soft tissues of his heart. He could feel his life essence flowing into the parts of his body where it shouldn't be. It felt weird. Was this how Maddie had felt when Wolverine stabbed her? He couldn't form a coherent answer to that thought as black spots started swimming in his vision.

He staggered away, blood bubbling at his lips and staining his uniform right over where his heart rested. With a gurgle he crumpled to the ground.

"No!" A sudden strawberry blonde flash lit past the X-men and crouched over the fallen Dynamo. At the same time, Black Diamond leapt from where she had been lurking in the back.

The white arms wrapped firmly around the High Raven's neck and then the flashing began.

Gereh screamed as blue light began to leak from her mouth, eyes, nose, and ears, even her skin and flowed into Black Diamond. The Romanian girl's eyes lit up white and she snarled in obvious pain as strobe lights lit up around her. At the same time, Tsarina was transforming. The white streaks disappeared from her hair, her lips went from black to pale pink, and her skin flushed with life.

As Gereh howled in agony, Eternal knelt over her dying brother. The golden bracelet on her hand that had bound her soul was melted, ruined by her brother's powers in their last fight.

"Alex," she whispered. His green eyes met their match as their light started to go out.

Madelyn's face hardened. "You won't die today."

She placed her hand on his chest, right on top of the fatal wound. Slowly, it began to seal shut. The young girl gasped as an identical stab wound ripped open in her chest as her brother's injury vanished completely. The moment his skin was completely sealed she fell back, clutching at her chest and gritting her teeth. With even more speed, her chest wound closed and both Rogers siblings were whole again.

Alex sat up, just in time to see Black Diamond release Gereh. The teen girl stumbled away and collapsed to the floor, shuddering and gagging up a black blood-like substance.

The sorceress stumbled, her face drawn and gray. They all flinched back as they saw the haggardness of her face; she now looked like a several thousand year old woman.

Dread stepped forward and pointed her finger at the ruined enemy. "You will never terrorize our family again."

A ragged scream erupted from the old crone's throat as she stumbled back. A black hole ripped open in the air behind her, Wraith smiling coldly as he held it there. With a last screech, the sorceress tumbled back into the shadow dimension as it snapped closed behind her. Too weak to access her powers, the High Raven was doomed to the shadow realm forever.

XXXXXX

Reunions are far quieter than one would think.

Pietro and Magneto found Wanda among the Ravens. Their meeting was awkward, but not unpleasant. Sparks and Nymph hugged fiercely, the same going for Boom Boom and Magma. The professor greeted all of the freed Ravens, offering them shelter before returning to their families. Nightcrawler embraced his sister fiercely, not giving a damn about her poison skin, as did Gambit.

Dynamo and Eternal made their way over to help Black Diamond.

"Tsarina, are you okay?" Alex asked as knelt beside her.

She coughed, and a little black dribbled down her chin. "W-water please."

Eternal called to one of the Ravens, who conjured a ball of water from the air. Tsarina sipped from it gratefully, before sitting up properly. She looked odd, now with a normal skin tone and dark chocolate brown eyes.

"So you were faking being a Raven all that time?" Alex asked.

She nodded. "Yes; Bridget caught up with me when I first entered the Nexus and told me her plan. I was only supposed to be a backup though. She did not count on you being stabbed." She coughed raggedly again before standing up.

"Thank you, I'll be alright." She nodded to the siblings with a small smile before wobbling back towards the X-men. She understood that brother and sister needed to be alone.

Maddie leaned against her older brother. "I was so scared I'd lose you. When I healed from that blast you gave me that broke my soul bind all I could think about was never seeing you again. And after I said those words to you…"

"It's okay Mad. I can understand why you have those thoughts," he soothed. "I wasn't as much of a brother to you after I became a mutant, more like a protector. And then I just left for the Institute. Is that why you didn't tell me about you being a mutant?"

She nodded ashamedly. "Yeah. Some guy tried to beat me up in an alley after school one day and I kept regenerating. I kicked his ass," she smirked. "But then I started to get sick all the time. I guess my super healing came at the cost of a low immune system. Dad wanted to call you, but I didn't want to feel like the helpless little sister again. Dad was either going to put me in the hospital or send me to Xavier's when Gereh found me."

Maddie hung her head. "I'm so sorry Alex. I should never have been so petty."

Alex hugged her. "It doesn't matter. You're back and that's all I care about."

From a shadowed alcove, Dread watched the reunions with sad eyes. She didn't even acknowledge the cold chill at her back.

"I thought you would be celebrating with them," Emilian rumbled.

She sighed. "I'm not sure if I can Emilian." The name came effortlessly, as if she used it all the time. "I almost did turn on them you know. I was so scared of the control I learned from you that I was almost willing to give it up, so I didn't have that responsibility."

"That is understandable," he agreed unexpectedly. "I would probably have the same debate if I had been in your position." He slid up to stand next to her.

She turned to him. "And what would you have chosen?"

His dark eyes fell on her. "I would not have let it rule me. These powers were given to me, not the other way around. And though I don't show it, I know certain people are watching out for me." He nodded towards Morpheus and Zenia.

Bridget turned back to look at the crowd. "But it did rule you. I felt it."

"Yes, it did. But not anymore, thanks to you."

She shot him a surprised look and his lip curled upwards slightly in an almost smile. "Yes, because of you. I felt your struggle, ever since your powers manifested. I had done much the same, but what amazed me was how your soul was still so much a part of you even in your struggle: you made friends, lived life. That was something I could never do. But through your mind, I now know how."

Bridget stared. He sounded at peace almost. And he was saying it was her doing?

She shook her head. "I guess I owe you thanks as well then. You did give me the control I wanted, even if it does scare me. I'll just have to take each day at a time and not be so scared of what might be."

She shuffled her feet. "So what's next for you, now that you've reconnected with your soul?" She snorted slightly, but the question was sincere.

He shrugged. "I do not know. I won't become an X-man anytime soon; I care about my own survival too much for that. But there are possibilities." He paused, and then unexpectedly bent down and laid a kiss on her forehead. It was brief, but utterly genuine.

"Thank you," he murmured before striding away towards the crowd.

Bridget remained frozen in shock for a moment before warmth flooded her. "Emilian!"

He turned and waited. She stuttered for a second before saying, "Can I see you again sometime? Just to talk?"

He smirked, but not unpleasantly. "Of course. Just to talk." He then turned and joined the Brotherhood.

She smiled. Bridget then took a deep breath and stepped from the alcove towards the waiting X-men, her family. For that was what they were; her parents were buried in the past, and the mutants in her life, Leo and the X-men, had become her family.

"Bridget!" called an eager voice. She was tackled in a hug by Oceana.

"I knew you would never turn on us, I knew it!"

Bridget smiled and just hugged her best friend right back, and then Biofuse as he came to her as well. They guided her back to the group of X-men.

She smiled shyly at the professor. She might have doubts about his dream, but she would fight to the death for her family.

"I'm ready to go home now Prof," she said.

He smiled kindly at her. "We all are Bridget. Let's go home."

_**End Omen of the Ravens**_

**Whoa, I amaze myself. ONE DAY! I POUNDED THIS 25 PAGE BABY OUT IN ONE DAY! OH YEAH!**

**No, I am pumped. I thought my first story arc ended great, and I hope you all thought so as well. Stay tuned for 'season 2' of Old Endings & New Beginnings. (After a break! God dang but did that tire out my typing fingers!)**

**Please send in any suggestions you have for future chapters, because this story isn't extremely plot based except for the story arcs. If there is an individual character or romantic couple you want to see more of, because now that introductions and character set up have been done, I can concentrate more on the individuals. So if you want to see your OC featured, or a certain couple, or more of the canon characters, let me know **


	18. Days of Respite

**Hello readers and welcome to the second season of Old Endings and New Beginnings.**

**Chapter 18 – Days of Respite**

After the weeks of stress and worry the Xavier Institute finally felt whole again. All of the student body had returned safely, parents of the missing girls had been notified, and friends and family were reunited.

The professor had granted them several days of rest to recover from the ordeal of the Ravens, which all were extremely grateful for.

Over their break, several young mutants would be returning to their homes. Flex, Cyclone, Waver, Proxy, and Prism were mutants whose powers were relatively easy to control, and now that they had learned enough from the Institute they would be going back to their regular lives. It was also obvious that after the life-threatening experience they had just gone through that their parents were less than comfortable with their children being X-men. Eclipse would also be returning to his home in Colorado for a couple weeks, but he promised that if the X-men had need of help then he would be more than willing to return immediately. He made sure his roommates knew his phone number; he said that they should be sure to let him know about any dangerous uprisings, and if they forgot he would hunt them down. The goodbyes were reluctant, but their friends that were leaving permanently promised to call or write or visit sometimes. So the mansion steadily began to return to normal.

"I still think you had it easier in that hell house," Alex said.

Lyle glared at his roommate from where he lay in his bed. He had only just been released from the sick bay by Hank, and his damaged shoulder had been wrapped in bandages and a sling.

"So getting my bloody shoulder nearly ripped off was easier than you and Black Diamond dodging down hallways?"

"No," Alex waved him off, "I meant your path to the Nexus. All you did was climb stairs and knock a big bat away, the whole injury thing aside. We had to dodge down hallways, survive the drowning library, nearly get dumped over a cliff, and jump over platforms to cross a chasm. And then I had to fight my sister."

"Alright, we all know you were the big hero," the red head dropped his head back down to his pillow. "Doesn't mean you have to tell everyone about it."

The blonde snorted. "Like you haven't been waving your battle scar around to anyone who will look."

Lyle shrugged single-shouldered. "I have something to show for the effort; no reason not to be proud of it. By the way, how come your sister didn't come to the Institute?"

"Dad's paralyzed like the professor and Maddie wanted to stay at home so he wouldn't have to hire a helper for certain things. Plus she's got her powers under control; her low immune system was just a developmental thing," Alex explained.

Lyle nodded and settled back to stare at the ceiling. "It's too quiet in this room. I didn't think I would miss Patrick's constant noise, but now the place feels too formal."

A wicked grin split across his roommate's face. He reached over to the portable phone on the dresser. "I can call him and put it on speaker phone if you want."

"NO!" squealed Lyle. "I like the kid and all, but that's just torture!"

Alex laughed before standing up and putting the phone back.

"I'm getting out of here. Most of the others are outside anyway. Get some rest O Noble Warrior." He ignored his friend's rude gesture and left the room.

The mansion itself was unusually quiet for this time of the day. He could hear music coming from several different dorms, and some voices talking on the floor below, but otherwise it was pretty peaceful.

Alex exited the glass front doors of the mansion and set off towards the large gathering of mutants hanging out on the front lawn and the decorative fountain. Someone had brought out a portable radio, so music was drifting over the grounds.

"Here approaches another of the Conquering Heroes! Let us all bow down and applaud!" called Peyton from where she was perched on top of the fountain. She dipped at the waist in a foppish gesture, twirling her hand in Alex's direction. Noa, who was practicing hand springs on the grass below, put her hand to her mouth and giggled silently at Peyton's over exaggerated actions. Alex just rolled his eyes at the little blonde, but she refused to be ignored at the moment.

"Hey Alex, think fast!"

He had to dodge rapidly as a jet stream of water shot from the fountain, Peyton grinning wickedly as she splayed her hand over the fountain mechanisms. He was able to admire how much Wolverine's training had taken effect over the months as he dodged and sprinted his way toward the fountain.

Cocking his hand like a gun, a small golden beam shot out. Peyton yelped and tried to dodge, but only managed to slip and tumble into the fountain pool below. She glared at him from behind her wet bangs as he laughed.

"Dish it but can't take, huh?"

Nearby Aqua shook her head as she watched the tiny blonde technopath chasing after the older and much taller mutant, shrieking threats in her high-pitched voice. She turned to Jon. Both were sitting on a blanket on the lawn and holding hands.

"It's so good to be home again," she sighed, tipping her head back to let the sun soak her. It was the first warm day of the year, quite a surprise for early February, and most of the students were outside taking it in before the chill returned.

"It's good to have you back." She felt him twisting a tendril of her black hair in his fingers. "You know Aqua, Valentine's Day is coming up. I was wondering if you wanted to do something then, since fighting off an evil sorceress isn't really an appropriate first date."

Aqua grinned. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, my first idea was –

"Someone cover me, she's gone nuts!"

The couple dove apart as Dynamo rampaged past. They also had to duck as the defense mechanisms on the front lawn came alive and began firing after the blonde teenager as he ran for his life. They continued their barrage for a few more seconds before it stopped. A rustling in the bushes heralded Masato emerging, a kicking Peyton slung over his shoulder.

"I think you need to calm yourself, before I start tickling," Masato was chuckling to the irate thirteen year old.

Jon snorted in amusement. "For starters, I was thinking somewhere far away from this crowd. Less of a threat to our lives."

"Too true, too true," was the fervent agreement.

Some yards away, Dala and Bridget were practicing their sparring. The first day after the battle in the Nest people had tip-toed around the blonde. But that had stopped as they began to see the change in her. While Bridget had always acted light-hearted and friendly, a new joy seemed to have overtaken her after her ordeal. An old wariness that had always been barely hidden was completely gone now, and she seemed so happy it was hard not to forgive her for everything that had happened. She seemed stronger now too, far more confident.

"So you asked him what?" Dalaja asked incredulously as they traded practice blows.

Bridget shrugged as she dropped into a sweeping kick. "I asked him if I could see him again sometime, to talk and stuff like that."

"Are you sure that is a good idea. I do not really have a problem with the Brotherhood, but he does not seem very… ideal as a dinner date."

"I never said it would be a date," Bridget clarified. "But he isn't as bad as we thought. He struggled with his powers just like I did, and it affected him badly. He seems better now."

Dala shrugged and dodged a right hook. "If you trust him I suppose I cannot complain. When were you planning on seeing him?"

"Tomorrow night actually. We're not sure what to do exactly, but I doubt we'll end up in a bar or anything. He isn't that kind of guy, even if he is two years older than me.

"Ooh, who's the guy?" Amy plopped down on the grass nearby with Inara and Shadow right behind. The puppy bounced over to Bridget and begged to be picked up. The two girls ceased their sparring and joined the other two in a little circle, Bridget cuddling the wiggling dog.

"Oh, just some guy I've met a few times."

"Come on Bridget, the mansion's been way too serious for weeks. We need juicy details to bring life back to this place," Inara begged, batting her large green eyes pleadingly.

"Then why aren't you jumping all over the happy new couple over there." The smaller blonde pointed toward Jon and Aqua where they sat whispering to each other.

Amy waved her hand dismissively. "We all knew they were going to get together; it's old news."

"Then why were you always flirting with Jon?" Dala asked in confusion. Amy shrugged.

"It was friendly flirting. I saw the goo-goo eyes those two were making at each other. I was just seeing if I could push them along and have a little fun. Plus, Jon is still very cute even if I was never serious. Now stop sidetracking us. Who's Bree's sweetheart?"

"He's not a sweetheart," Bridget growled. They only stared at her expectantly until she sighed. "All right, I give. It's Wraith, from the Brotherhood."

Nymph's eyebrows shot up towards orbit as Sparks leaned forward. "That is dishing it. I can see potential there." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully in a Sherlock Holmes manner. "He certainly gives off the tall, dark, and handsome vibe well enough. There's plenty of creepy there too, but a nice girl like Bree could manage to peel back that prickly exterior to the warm heart beneath," she narrated teasingly. Bridget just rolled her eyes and smirked.

"Well, if I'm forced to spew all of my male interactions, how about you Inara? Any luck with Wild Blue Yonder Boy?"

Inara clammed up as Sparks, who had been sipping her grape soda, sputtered and coughed. The hacking was interspersed with snorting laughs at Kurt's ridiculous nickname. Dala was also snickering behind her hand in a more dignified manner to Amy's guffaws.

"It's just a crush, nothing serious," Inara mumbled, her cheeks going red.

Bridget grinned wickedly. It was payback time. "Oh, I think it's a little more than a crush. I see those moon eyes creeping over your face every time he enters the same room as you. It looks like this chick really does dig the fuzzy dude."

Amy nudged her best friend, wiggling her eyebrows ridiculously. "So mi compadre, stringing along two boys already? Congratulations."

"I'm not stringing anyone along. Kurt doesn't even really notice me, at least not in that way. Besides, he has a girlfriend."

"But David doesn't." The chlorokinetic's blush deepened in shade.

"I do like David, kind of, but…I don't know…"

"Don't worry," Bridget said. "You'll work it out eventually. Besides, they're just high school crushes. They can't be all that serious."

Inara nodded. "I guess you're right. I should stop being so serious about it."

"Hey guys," Peyton yelled over to their group, "come over here. We need your opinions."

When the four joined the gathering of New Mutants under a clump of fruit trees they were beckoned over.

Aqua grinned. "We've all decided that, since we are all basically super heroes now, we need a theme song. We need your opinions on a song we could use. Write out a couple suggestions you have on paper, put it in the hat, and we'll shuffle. If we can't find one that fits we'll just shuffle through the radio channels and try to find one."

The girls plopped down, all grinning. Now this was something teenage mutant vigilantes should be doing on a sunny day off. Ranging around them was the rest of their group. Peyton and Noa had claimed one of the larger rocks to sit on, while Jon and Aqua commandeered the other one. Alex, Masato, Carter, and Nik were leaning up against the trees, while Tsarina perched languidly up in the branches of a large cherry tree. The sun was glinting in gold flashes between the mostly bare tree branches, but they could just barely see the beginnings of the buds on the trees. It looked like spring would be arriving early this year. It felt like a good omen on such a beautiful day.

XXXXXX

The rec room, though quieter, was just as crowded as the gathering outside. The senior X-men were recovering just as much as the younger trainees. Despite their greater experience, the mission had taxed them just as severely.

In the back of the room, Rogue and Gambit sat playing cards. The transition from annoyer and annoyee to good friends had been a little unclear, but the two could be in close proximity with each other for longer periods of time now without Rogue trying to throttle her Cajun admirer.

Gambit smirked. "Dis just ain't your day chérie." He laid down his winning hand.

Rogue glared at him and pointed an accusing finger at his nose. "Dammit Cajun, I don't know how you're doin' it, but you're cheatin'," she sulked.

He smirked and rolled up the sleeves of his black shirt. "Don't got nothin' up my sleeves chère. But you're welcome to get mad at dis Cajun whenever you please. You're cute when yo' mad."

She rolled her green eyes, but her face grew softer. Gambit began shuffling the cards again, noting the thoughtful look on her face.

"What's wit' de long face? It's not right dat such a belle femme should be frowning."

For perhaps the first time ever she didn't brush off the flirting, instead merely picking at her gloved fingers. A sudden gloom had descended upon her faster than he would have thought possible.

She sighed. "I don't know what I'm doin' Remy."

"Well, if y' don't know what yo' doing it's no wonder I keep beatin' ya chère."

"Not the cards," she snapped suddenly. "I meant now."

"Qui?"

Rogue chewed her lip. "I'm not going anywhere Remy. I don't know what I'm doin' with my life. I mean, Jean and Scott got their careers all worked out, Kitty knows what she wants ta be, everyone seems like they got it worked out except for me. I'm just sittin' in the Institute twiddling my thumbs, no idea where I'm going, no control over my powers, and nothing driving me forward."

Remy paused. He hadn't expected such an open show of her thoughts, and he wanted to prove he was trustworthy of them.

"You aren't doin' nothing. You're an X-man, you help people."

"But I don't know if I wanna stay here forever. Scott and Jean will come back o' course, they'd fight for Professor X's dream till the day they die, but I'm not sure I want to be an X-man my whole life. It's just…I don't know what t' do. Even here I'm not all that useful. My powers are more of a burden than a help; I'm always getting kidnapped an' used as a weapon against my friends. I just feel so…stuck," she sighed deeply.

She waited, aware that he was watching her intently. Then long fingers grasped her much smaller hands in between his palms.

"If y' feel stuck, we could always run away: sneak off in de dark o' de night, ride off into the sunrise, all dose clichés. Maybe we'd fly t' Paris, or Rome. What you t'ink?" He grinned mischievously.

"I'm trying t' be serious here Remy."

"I know. And we wouldn't have t' go to extremes. What Remy's trying to say is, he had t' take risks getting outta New Orleans. Magneto wasn't ideal, but de risk paid off; Remy met de most belle fille he's ever laid eyes on, found a cause that's worth fighting for."

"If you feel stuck chère, you should do somethin' about it. Take a trip, try somethin' new, and try to get out of de loop. I'd stick with you if you needed it."

Rogue was rather surprised by the sincerity he was showing her. She didn't know what made her open up to her kind of sort of friend, but he was answering with such genuine thought that she was glad she had. His words caused Rogue to pause and consider.

"I don't know Remy, but I'll keep it in mind. I don't think I'm ready for such a big step yet but it's nice to know I have an out if I need it. I think I'll stick around till the end of the school year: help train the newbies, finish up a year of college, see if I can't get something to work with my powers. But I'll be thinking 'bout it."

Remy smiled, one of those rare open grins that he only ever showed her. "And if ya do decide to split this place, go see de world, have some adventure; ya know where to find me."

Rogue merely returned a small smile as they resumed playing cards, but there was a new spark of hope inside of her. It felt good.

On the couch Kitty, Kurt, and Piotr were talking together.

"I know that it doesn't really matter in the entering college process, but I still wish I could finish high school, you know, at high school," Kitty was explaining. "I still want to go to prom, complain about grades, and just get that experience."

Kurt nodded. "I know. Vhen I first came here and got my image inducer, it vas such a pleasant change from back in Germany. But I guess there is nothing ve can do about it anymore."

"Yeah," Kitty sighed. Piotr remained silent, feeling sympathy for his friends but not quite able to identify with them. Topics turned to lighter subjects until Kurt got up.

"I'm going to call Amanda. I want to make sure that she's free for Valentine's Day." With a puff of smoke he vanished.

Piotr and Kitty sat in silence for a moment. Colossus was trying to summon up his courage. He had known Valentine's Day was near, and he was just trying to drum up the nerve to ask the girl beside him. Kitty Pryde wasn't quite like any girl he had met before: she had a very poppy and sometimes naïve exterior, but beneath it was an intelligent, funny, and kind young woman.

He opened his mouth to ask her when Kurt suddenly popped his head back into the rec room.

"Kitty, phone's for you!"

Phasing out the back of the couch, Kitty grabbed the hand-held that Kurt tossed to her. A moment later her face lit up.

"Hey Lance! I'm glad you're feeling better after that whole Ravens mess." A pause, and then her smile grew even wider.

"Sure, I'd love to go out on Valentine's Day! Thanks for asking. Kay, see you then!"

Peter sighed. So close, and yet so far.

The senior X-men were suddenly interrupted by a loud bout of laughter that came through the window from outside. Amused voices chattered for a moment before they quieted down.

"They've been doing that for a while now," Jean commented. "I wonder what they're doing."

Scott stood. "Why don't we go see? It's a nice day out; I think they have the right idea being outside. At least we know they aren't destroying anything."

The group filed out onto the sunny lawn. Another gush of laughter erupted from the small grove of trees at the edge of forest. A shout quieted them.

"Guys, I think I've got it!"

"Like, what's going on?" Kitty inquired as they joined the New Recruits.

"Ssh!" Peyton flapped her hand at them. "We think Jon has it."

"Has what?" Kurt asked, wanting to know what was going on.

Bridget decided to enlighten them. "We decided, since we are basically super heroes, we need a theme song. We're just trying to find a song that will fit us."

"Ah ha, I got it!" Jon declared proudly as he stood back from their portable radio. A percussion beat started.

"Oh yes, that's the one," Alex agreed fervently as the guitar came in and the song began in earnest.

_Do you think about everything you've been through?_

_You never thought you'd be so depressed._

_Are you wondering, is it life or death?_

_Do you think that there's no one like you?_

_We are…_

_We are…_

_We are…_

_We are the Ones!_

_We get knocked down!_

_We get back up, and stand above the crowd_

_We are One!_

_We are the ones!_

_We get knocked down_

_We get back up and stand above the crowd_

_We are One!_

_The life I think about is so much better than this_

_I never thought I'd be stuck in this mess_

_I'm sick of wondering, is it life or death_

_I need to figure out who's behind me._

_We are…_

_We are…_

_We are…_

_We are the ones!_

_We get knocked down_

_We get back up and stand above the crowd_

_We are one!_

_We are the ones!_

_We get knocked down_

_We get back up and stand above the crowd_

_We are one!_

By the time the guitar solo hit all of them were nodding their heads to the beat and grinning, having found their theme song. Even the senior X-men had to admit, it was a good pick both in mood and lyrics. It almost seemed like it was written for them: a mix of loneliness, uncertainty, defiance, pride, and unity.

_The life I think about is so much better than this_

_I never thought I'd be stuck in this mess._

_I'm sick of wondering, is it life or death…_

_We are the Ones!_

_We get knocked down!_

_We get back up and stand above the crowd_

_We are one!_

_We are the ones!_

_We get knocked down_

_We get back up and stand above the crowd_

_We are one!_

_(We stand above the crowd)_

_(We stand above the crowd)_

_We stand!_

_We stand!_

_We are the ones; we get knocked down, get back up._

_We are the ones; we get knocked down, get back up._

_We stand above the crowd…_

_We stand above the crowd…_

_We stand above the crowd!_

Chattering followed the discovery of their team song.

"And do you know what the real kicker is?" Jon asked the crowd. "That songs name is One-X."

"Uncanny," Inara snickered, "like it was made for us. One-X for the X-men."

"How come we never thought of finding a theme song?" Nightcrawler asked his eldest teammates.

"Because we were too busy making sure the Brotherhood didn't trash Bayville," Scott answered. Then he called to the whole gathering. "We'd better head in; it's time for dinner."

"Whose turn is it for dinner?" asked Nik.

"Logan's."

"PIZZA!"

XXXXXX

The moon had risen and the mansion had grown quiet.

Logan lounged in the kitchen, sipping coffee and reading the newspaper. It had been awhile since he had just been able to slow down, read the news and enjoy a good ol' cup of Joe.

He zoned his hearing toward the rec room. He could hear the voices of most of the kids in there; the rest were in the sick bay being watched by Beast until their injuries healed. It was nice knowing where all the kiddies were; less stress in his life.

He smelled Ororo's warm scent mixed with the scent of her flowers before she entered the room.

"Good evening Logan." She always did that. No matter what time of the day it was, or what mood he was in, she always greeted him in her warm, regal voice. It was one of those things that even prickly people like Logan instantly grew to like about the weather witch: she acknowledged you with dignity no matter who you were or what time it was.

"Hey 'Ro," he nodded back.

The tall woman turned the stove on, preparing hot water for tea. "You seem quite relaxed my friend."

"Figure we deserve it after all the craziness. I like some action as much as the next guy, but I prefer to keep the kids out of it."

"I am sure Mr. Isaacson and Mr. Griffiths would agree with you on that point." Beast had entered and moved toward the coffee pot.

"How is David?" Ororo asked.

"He will have some scars, but he'll be just fine. Lyle has already returned to his room, and I believe he is actually quite proud of the scar."

"He fought; he earned it, why shouldn't he be?" Logan grunted as he finished off his coffee.

"AAHH!"

The scream jolted all the adults until an embarrassed giggling followed, coming from the rec room.

Hank shook his head. "I believe they're watching Paranormal Activity or some type of horror movie."

"They just went through a horror movie; do they need to watch more of it?"

Hank chuckled. "It's a teenager thing. You've never done something similar?"

"Hank, for all I know when I was their age television was something only the nutcases ever talked about."

Down the hallway in the recreation room, nearly the whole student body of the Institute was sitting on couches, chairs, and the floor. Blankets, bowls of popcorn, and teenage mutants cluttered almost every available space.

Scrunched up on the couch, Inara, Kurt, Dala, and Bridget were all curled under the couch duvets. Inara had the light green slip pulled over her face; she severely disliked this movie. Kurt patted her reassuringly on the back and she leaned into him, still keeping her face shielded. Dala's nose was scrunched up in distaste, as she was not particularly fond of horror either, but Bridget looked almost bored. She had never been very scared by horror films before, but ever since her powers had evolved and come under her control almost nothing scared her any more. Even the jump scares didn't bother her that much. The large leather arm chair contained Jean and Scott, sitting together cozily. Rogue, Remy, Carter, Ray, Masato, and Sam were all sitting in a group on the floor, mostly making fun of the movie. Jubilee, Amara, Tabitha, and Amy were the screamers of the gathering. Not out of fear, but because it was appropriate they said. Jamie and Rahne were avoiding looking at the screen as much as possible, while Peyton stared shamelessly, enjoying every moment of contrived terror. Jon, Aqua, Bobby, Roberto, and Nik were all asleep. Piotr and Kitty whispered to each other quietly.

The faint whir coming from the hallway didn't disturb them, so Professor Xavier was able to behold the scene purely as it was. He smiled. One might not think it, but moments like these were what told him that his dream was worth fighting for. Seeing young mutants, many of which had gone through dark or traumatic experiences because of what they were, being carefree young people who could enjoy simple pleasures and friendship was what his dream was all about. Mutants were people just like other humans; if only it could be shown to the rest of the world.

"_One day,"_ he thought as he rolled off to join the rest of teachers in the kitchen. One day the world would see.

XXX

**So starts season 2! Not much besides minor hijinks in this chapter at first glance, but take note: this chapter has HEAPS of foreshadowing in it. If you know where to look, there are a lot of tip offs to what will be coming in the future. Also, the song in the chapter, One-X, is by Three Days Grace and does not belong to me. The theme song idea was inspired by an X-men Evolution video on YouTube by darkscreamer785.**

**I decided that the extra OCs I included are kind of pointless, so I'm removing most of them and replacing other people's OCs that got placed as extras in main character parts. So Lyle, Inara, and Amy will be taking center stage in future chapters. **


	19. Day in the Life of Inara Richardson

_Disclaimer: Haven't been doing these much, so I'll do one for good measure. I own nothing except for the plot and a few of the OCs. Apart from that, I am bereft. _

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><p><strong>Chapter 19 – Day in the Life of Inara Richardson<strong>

It's probably common knowledge, at least among those who bother to care, that life as one of the Xavier Institute students is anything but normal. I testify to that sentiment. But it isn't all spandex suits and saving the world. No, sometimes there are days that are pretty average…well, as average as we can possibly be. Just take one day out of my life here and you'll see what I mean.

* * *

><p>Around about 5:40 am is when the music starts blasting. And I don't just mean the average loud music, no, I mean that we're probably interrupting military airwaves with the amount of screaming music we have permeating this one room alone. And every day begins roughly the same: with me leaping five feet into the air, out of my bed, and clunking like a sack of rocks to the floor. I've been doing this since I came here and I still can't get past that reflex.<p>

Amy, my only roommate now that Waver is gone, is of course rocking out in her pajamas and singing her rock tunes into her hairbrush as she fixes her bedhead, as she does every morning. She may be my best friend, but I still want to strangle her in the mornings.

Of course she doesn't care that much. Amy's like that; she doesn't care what people think as long as she's herself. It's something I both admire and loathe about her, since that means she has no qualms about blasting Fireflight, Papa Roach, 30 Seconds to Mars, or any other loud rock band in my room at an ungodly early hour. I never disturb her, because once she starts head banging to the music and tossing her hair I know that communications will be down until she finishes.

Amy's music is rather like the morning bugler for the army; once her music starts shaking the house people know it's time to get up.

I pick myself up off the floor and stomp off to the bathroom before it gets too crowded. I'm really beginning to envy Tsarina; her roommate was Shiloh, and now that Shiloh's gone home to Australia Tsarina has a bedroom all to herself. Lucky woman.

Now, one thing that I must address is the severe lack of bathrooms here, despite the fact that this is a mansion, so I usually have to go down to the second or first floor to find space. Oh sure, there would be a surplus of lavatories if just an average family lived here, but since this is a school there's always a little trouble getting your morning chores done before Wolverine begins herding us into the torture chamber re: Danger Room. At least we leave off the showers until after the session, where the locker rooms have enough showers to go around.

I'm usually a cheerful person, but before the sun comes up I can be more than a little grouchy, especially considering my wakeup call. So there is always the inevitable moment when some too-rowdy teenager smacks into me while running down the hall.

"Bobby!" Before I really know what I'm doing I snap my hand out. The decorative plant in the hallway whips out and smacks him in the face, sending him to the floor with a loud thump.

"Geez Inara! Do you know how much that hurts?"

"No I don't, and you wouldn't know either if you didn't shoot down the hall at six in the morning and crash into people." I will admit that I sound kind of evil when I hiss at him, but if it keeps him from becoming a hall hazard to us innocent morning pedestrians then the ends justify the means, right? I can see Scott and Jon giving me slightly spooked looks, but I might as well make the message known. Then again, I doubt either of them would ever be crashing down the hall in the predawn hours, but they can help spread the message.

I finally find a bathroom that isn't completely occupied and I rush to it. Finding a bathroom here is like grabbing a cab in NYC: be fast or someone else will snag it, no matter who flagged it down in the first place.

So I slip in and find Rogue and Peyton in there, occupying two of the three sinks at the counter. Rogue is putting on her Goth makeup, though I think she looks better without it, while Peyton is brushing her teeth while listening to her iPod. I set to speed-brushing my hair and teeth, because I know what'll be coming. As always, I finish just as the call comes.

"Five minutes, ready or not! If you're late you get another half hour!"

Ah Mr. Logan, the morning isn't complete until we here your melodious tones floating upstairs and threatening us with physical exhaustion and torture should we happen to run in point two seconds late to the daily session. God forbid we ever forget to tie our laces and trip up on them; he would toss us into a session against Apocalypse himself and laugh himself silly as we die horribly. Don't get me wrong, Mr. Logan is beyond awesome, but beware his wrath should you cross him in any way. The only ones who can get away with that are Rogue and Remy, Rogue because she's practically Logan's daughter and Remy because he just doesn't give a crap.

Fast forward past a mad scramble down the stairs and getting into our uniforms in record time, and you find us standing in the Danger Room. Another thing you must know: always use the restroom before heading into a Danger Room session. If you need to use the facilities during practice, well that's just too bad.

Lately Scott's been planning more and more of the sessions, and while they are a bit more creative than Logan's usual bloodbath, they aren't any easier.

"Alright team, I think today we'll try to work on balance and dexterity. This is very important in case you get stuck in a precarious place during a fight. It will be almost twice as hard to defend yourself in that situation, even more so if conditions are difficult. No powers will be in use."

Oh no, I hate these. Through DR sessions I've discovered that I'm a very strong melee fighter, or so Scott told me. I can put a lot of force behind a power or physical attack, but only in a straight on brawl. But I can tell you now, my stamina is low and I can balance about as well as an elephant on a tightrope.  
>I just know the next hour is going to be a nightmare. The only people who look happy with the upcoming exercise are Remy, Kurt, and Noa. Well lucky them: a professional thief, a former circus performer, and a girl that can just copy their moves. Have fun while the rest of us suffer.<p>

Scott gives the thumbs up to Logan in the control booth and the Danger Room flickers into life.

Yes, definitely more creative. With Logan we'd probably be dancing over iron bars the whole time, but I have to commend Scott for thinking of putting us on old fashioned ships in the middle of a hurricane it looks like. And from the looks of the ship opposite us, we'll be reenacting an old pirate fight scene.

Thunder, awfully realistic in its loudness, cracks overhead and I'm soaked in three seconds.

"Alright team!" It looks like Jean is our team leader. Good, she can catch me when I fall. Oh wait, no powers; damn it!

"Up into the rigging. Use hand to hand to fight your opponents, and don't fall. Once you fall, you're out."

With all the enthusiasm of walking to the chopping block, I start climbing. At the moment, our ship is climbing a wave. I need to reach the top and hang on tight before we go down.

My fingers are already beginning to freeze and burn against the coarse ropes as I try not to look down at the frothing sea. I know it's all fake, but the new programming in the danger room makes everything more realistic. If I were to fall, it would feel like I hit freezing water for a few moments. That is not something I want to experience. I reach the top just as the ship reaches the peak of the massive wave. It must be ten stories high at least. I'm clinging like a barnacle to the center mast, praying to God that I'll last the impact.

The ship's prow dips down. It feels like a deadly Disneyland ride; the wind is threatening to rip me off the mast and send me flying. I can't help but scream when we crash down, gallons of water washing over the deck and drenching me with water. Then we bob back up and the ordeal is over.

For the moment at least. I can see our opposing team leaping onto our ship. Someone lands right next to me, only swaying for a moment before they steady themselves.

Roberto doesn't look all that comfortable in the downpour, but he's a whole lot steadier then I am. After all, he has over a year's head start on experience compared to me. I just manage to block the hook he sent at my head as I stagger away from the mast. He comes at me, swinging wildly as the ship rocks back and forth.

My feet are trying to find purchase on the slippery mast piece, but it's no wider than a balance beam. Desperate, I send a swipe his way. I didn't expect it to connect, but I guess he didn't either. He's dazed, which gives me just enough time. The precarious and rather reckless scissor kick sends him flying off the mast.

"Sorry!" I yell as he drops into the raging ocean below. I scan about for any more enemies. Eek, Remy's a little too close. I might be able to get Roberto, but there's no way I could beat Gambit in a balancing fight.

Latching onto the rigging, I begin shimmying along a rope monkey bar style. My feet are dangling in empty air thirty feet above the deck of the ship, swinging with my hips as I try to get to the next mast. Don't look down, don't look down!

I get there just as we begin climbing another wave. The spray is clouding my vision, so I can't see Copycat behind me.

My legs are swept out from beneath me before I can yell, and suddenly I'm falling. I scream, feeling nothing below me as I plummet.

Then something slams into me. I register arms holding me. I look up and laugh in relief. Kurt, that amazing blue acrobat, saved me by swinging in on a rope and catching me Tarzan style. Is it any wonder I like him so much?

He sets me down at the back of the ship, gives me a cheeky salute and swings away again. I wish I could take some time to stare stupidly at nothing, but we still have a DR session to beat.

* * *

><p>Lord, am I ever glad that's over. I did end up getting knocked off the ship eventually, but much later than I thought I would. I almost made it to the end, but Kitty managed to send me flying in the last ten minutes of the session. I'm exhausted now and it's only seven in the morning. We all drag ourselves to the locker rooms to shower, despite the fact that we're already soaked.<p>

We stagger into the kitchen at around 7:40, nursing our numerous injuries. Since we aren't allowed at Bayville high at the moment, we don't have the big rush in the morning anymore, so breakfasts are a lot more relaxed than before.

We begin the breakfast system: Kitty phasing into the fridge and tossing out milk, eggs, yogurt, and whatever else we eat for breakfast while Ray and Bobby pull out Poptarts and cereal from the cupboards. Several people are stationed at the stove cooking omelets and pancakes.

I have my usual breakfast of a bagel, yogurt, an orange, and a bottle of organic juice. I'm all for a fancy dinner, but I like breakfast simple; it saves brain power for later in the day. When we finish, we file off to participate in classes.

Since the staff at the institute is rather small, the professor has us hooked up with several online education programs for certain courses such as languages and English. Otherwise, Logan has PE, Mr. McCoy has math and science, the Prof has social studies, and Ms. Munroe has Home Ec. No offense to Mr. McCoy, but I simply despise Biology. The day we started learning about heredity, dominant traits, and punnett squares, I almost started bashing my head against my desk. I just can't get a grasp on the stupid subject. It's the only class that I have a B- in, apart from all my other A grades. I also forgot that we have a test today.

I'm staring at the first question on the paper with my mouth hanging open so wide that the dust motes could be procreating in the thousands in there.

_The factor for producing yellow peas ("Y") is dominant over the factor for producing green peas ("y"). Suppose a pea plant produces yellow peas. What possible combination(s) of factors can it have?_

Whaaaattt…?

I can immediately tell that this test won't be one of my better ones.

I look up and take a peek at what my friends are doing. Amy is writing like her life depends on it, Alex is staring at the paper like it's written in Martian, Tsarina looks like she's doing a calculation in her head, David, fresh out of the infirmary, is chewing on his lip as he works on his answer, and Bridget is lightly smacking her head against the desktop. The only one that seems relaxed is Dala, the biology whiz among our little group. Probably of both groups, seeing as we're Mr. McCoy's first class of the day.

I try to resist the urge to chew on my pencil, a bad habit I've been trying to kick. I just start writing, hoping that I'll get something right. I rather doubt it.

Next are Home Economics for all us girls, no matter what grades we're in. Today we are subjected to the dreaded Muffin Test, unsupervised. Why is it dreaded? One word: Kitty. I'm good friends with the girl and she's great fun, but Kitty is probably on the way to creating the next nuclear disaster the way she cooks. I swear that the batch of cookies she baked and lost last time crawled away to spawn their children out in the woods somewhere.

The kitchen's pretty hot with the multiple ovens getting fired up, and since today is unsupervised we're playing music. I wouldn't have picked Flo Rida myself, but that song Low is just so freaking catchy.

So I'm with Jubilee as my cooking partner, which I'm thankful for. The girl talks an awful lot but she knows what she's doing in the kitchen.

"So do you think you'll get together with anyone for Valentine's Day?" she asks.

Oh yes, the holiday of love is exactly three days away. The big question going around is 'who will you ask?' I can't help but think of Kurt. I know he's two years older than I am, and I know he has a girlfriend, but there's still a little inkling of hope. For a moment I indulge a fantasy where I'm sitting alone in my room when he pops in, sweeps me off my bed, and whisks me away to some romantic place. Perhaps a moonlit beach, or maybe a quiet little restaurant somewhere. I have to snap out of it as I realize that Jubilee is eyeing me and smirking.

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it." Just ignore that smell of smoke coming from my glorified flaming denim capris.

Thankfully Jubilee wants to gush about her own Valentine's hopes too much to pay much attention to my obvious lie. "Well, I really hope that Bobby asks me, since I think it's a little weird for a girl to ask a guy. Not that I have a problem with other girls doing it, but I could never do it. Anyway, even if he doesn't, I wouldn't mind a few other guys…"

I'm only half paying attention now since I'm trying to make sure we made all the correct measurements for our blueberry muffins. Also, I'm thinking about Valentine's. Even if Kurt is out of my league, there is still someone else. David is more of a friendly crush, but he's usually the one that is there when I need him. We're good friends, but I can't really tell if I feel more for him than that. I have to admit though; he is pretty cute even though he's slightly younger than I am. Plus he's grown a few inches lately, so the height difference isn't as large as it was a few months ago. Maybe we could get together for the holiday, if just as friends?

"Oh crap, I think I did something wrong."

That sentence might as well have been 'fire in the hole!' We all dive down behind the counters as if expecting a bomb to hit the mansion roof. Nothing happens. We all peek back up to see Kitty glaring at us and tapping her foot.

"I just used unsalted butter instead of salted. Gosh, you're acting like I was going to blow up the oven or something."

* * *

><p>3 o' clock arrives and our classes are over with for the rest of the day.<p>

The sunny day we had not long ago seems like a one-time thing, since a thunderstorm is raging outside. Most people don't like the waterlogged weather, but I don't really mind it. I can feel the plants outside growing and flourishing under the shower, and it makes me feel energized and happy.

I end up downstairs in the rec room where I can only see Piotr and Tsarina. Pete's sitting and drawing by the window while Tsarina's watching some gory rock musical on the TV. I sit down; I can't stand psychological horror and jump scares, but violence and gore don't bother me in the slightest.

"What are you watching?"

"Repo the Genetic Opera," she replies, not taking her eyes off the screen. Apparently it's a favorite, so I shut up and watch with her, taking in a former surgeon in a scary red suit ripping organs from poor saps who couldn't pay on time, all of this in song may I remind you.

As the movie starts wrapping up I sit back. "Unrealistic. She could not just poke her own eyes out like that without passing out from pain, or at the very least flinching. And in real life those iron bars wouldn't have been that sharp, so she couldn't have been impaled on them. The most that could happen would have been her spine breaking."

"Well, that is why it's science fiction and not real life. Do not bash this film, it's one of my favorites," Tsarina grouses at me. She reaches over to snag some popcorn from the bowl I brought during 'intermission.' I happen to notice her knuckles are bandaged.

"What's wrong with your hand?"

"This?" she asks as she glances down. "It is nothing; just a small side effect from fighting the High Raven." She waves off my gossip-monger face and turns back to the screen as the movie ends. She seems far more relaxed nowadays than she used to be, as well as far more sociable. Tsarina used to scare me a bit, like Rogue used to creep me out, but now that I know them a bit more they aren't so bad. Plus, Tsarina's begun acting a good bit friendlier ever since the Ravens incident. I guess life threatening situations do bring people closer together.

Her head lifts up before she turns to me. "Dinnertime," she says before getting up and walking out, singing 'Aching Hour' at a decent volume. Like I said, she isn't as bad as before, but she's still got a ways to go before she totally clears the 'kinda creepy' label.

Dinner at the Xavier Institute, perhaps the only time of the day the student body puts on at least a façade of calm behavior. What can I say; we're super powered teenagers that love a good time. I just can't wait for the day Mr. Logan takes us all on a field trip. You know how crazy kids get when you stick them on a school bus going someplace other than school? Imagine that, but packed together with enough firepower to equal an army arsenal. I guarantee I will be recording that trip.

Tonight's meal is relatively uneventful except for an exploding potato, and afterward people begin to retreat to their rooms or the library to mellow out before lights out is called. Amy and I head back upstairs toward our room, chatting as only teenage girls can.

"I can't believe they eliminated Stephen, since he was pretty much the only contestant that showed talent! That boy had _range, _while everyone else falls back on their teeny bopper popular stuff."

I nod fervently in agreement as I flop back on my bed in fluffy shorts and a dark green tank top. The fresh scent of the lilies that sit in a vase next to my bed makes me feel as refreshed as if I had just stepped from the shower. I undo the long French braid I had put in my hair, allowing my long dark tresses to hang loose.

Amy hops over onto my bed, bouncing up and down while sitting crisscross applesauce.

"I'm feeling especially girlish tonight 'Nara, so let's talk boys."

I roll my eyes. "Have you all been bitten by the moony bug? The only subject I'm hearing from you girls now is boys, boys, boys. The only girls who don't yak about it are Noa, Tsar, and Rogue, for their own obvious reasons."

Amy plasters on her famous lecher grin, the one she uses whenever she wants to use our feminine fantasies as means of teasing us and entertaining herself. "Oh like you haven't thought about it just as much. I saw that little Disney Princess moment you had with you-know-who in the DR."

My lips clamp shut. I don't deny it because that won't do a thing, but shutting up is the best way to fend off Blonde Yente. Unfortunately she can go for a while before she runs out of steam.

"You know what I would have done? You should have tackled him to the deck, shared a  
>'Pirates 3' moment. It would have been amazing for you I'll bet, as well as giving Badger Badger Badger a nice tomato face!"<p>

I mean to continue my stalemate until her words fully register. "Wait, why would it only be amazing for me? Are you insinuating madam, that I am not a good kisser?"

"Didn't you just confess last week that you were a lip virgin?" Amy's quick tongue doesn't save her from the pillow that smacks her right in the middle of her grinning kisser. It was harder than I thought the hit would be, because it sends her tumbling off the bed and onto her butt with a loud thump.

I'm about to apologize before she glares at me with an insane spark in her eye, and then leaps to her feet with one finger pointed into the air like a lightning rod, pun on her powers intended.

"The first act of aggression passes! WAR IS NIGH!"

We're both laughing like crack heads and surrounded in rumpled pillows and several bras (they make amazing projectiles, get your minds from the gutter you filthy children) when there's a knock on the door. We both stop, guessing it's Short, Buff, and Grumpy come to tell us to can it and go to sleep. But no, Logan would have just shouted over us instead of knocking. Or he could have broken the door in.

Kicking the bras out of sight I shout to the door. "Who is it?"

"It's David, can I talk to Inara for a sec?"

The lecher grin cranks up to maximum volume as Amy wiggles her eyebrows mischievously at me. I try to glare, but before I know it I'm being shoved out into the hallway as the door slams behind me. I'm very aware that I'm only in my thin tank top and shorts. I hurriedly cross my arms and try to look relaxed.

I'm glad David's too kind to make some perverted remark. If it had been almost any of the other boys, besides maybe Scott, Kurt, and Pete, that probably would have happened. As it is, he just hesitates for a second before he speaks up. I can't help but stare rather stupidly into his eyes. They're such a pretty color, a shimmering grey mixed with hints of pale blue and green. Such nice eyes.

I nearly slap myself as I come back to attention, David obviously expecting an answer to a question I didn't hear. Cue the tremendous blush. "Um, I'm sorry David, I spaced for a moment. What did you ask?"

He looks even more nervous now. "You know, I was just wondering if, if you aren't busy or have other plans, if you would want to go out and do something on Friday? If you feel like it."

Friday, otherwise known as Valentine's Day. Now I've had a Valentine before, multiple actually, but never for an actual activity, like a _date. _Of course I've fantasized about Kurt taking me out, but now that I'm actually being asked I feel self-conscious and rather slow. David takes my hesitation as reluctance.

"If you don't feel comfortable about it, it's okay. I don't mind; anyway, it would just be as friends."

I hear a faint sound of flesh hitting flesh. I believe that a certain electrokinetic friend of mind has just facepalmed herself from where she's eavesdropping behind our door. I jump to conclude the situation before Amy barges out and settles things herself.

"No David, I'd love to go out. You know, as friends." I'm still not sure how much I feel for him, so I'd better set the boundaries first thing.

He perks up while still seeming slightly disappointed. "Okay, great! So, I guess we'll get together around seven in the foyer and head out on Friday?" His voice has matured in the past couple of months, so he sounds much older than he looks.

I nod and smile. "Sure, I can't wait."

"Good, then I'll see you then," he grins rather bashfully before nearly teleporting from the girl's hallway. He's either relieved to have gotten that over with or it's almost lights out. The separated genders after certain hours rule is one that is quite efficiently enforced.

I slump back into my room to meet Amy, who seems to be crossed between hysterical laughter and royally pissed off.

"Just…friends? You actually said that? You do know that's the biggest red flag you could send up right?"

I pass her and climb into bed, dutifully picking up the novel I'm reading and burying my nose in it. "Yes, I said just as friends. I'm not quite sure how I feel about him yet and I'd rather not jump into anything."

Amy snorts, but it sounds amused now. "Take things slow, yeah, hope that works out for you."

I look up and scowl. "What do you mean?"

She plops down next to me again and nudges me in the shoulder again, wagging those infernal eyebrows again. If anyone could rival Remy Lebeau's pervert title in this mansion, it would be my best friend. Remind me, why do I like her so much?

"Are you kidding me, you could cut the sexual tension out there with a popsicle stick, if you staring into his eyes like something from one of those cheesy romance novels wasn't enough of an indicator."

I smack the back of her head, which she bounces back from like one of those punching dummies we have in the gym downstairs. "It was not sexual tension. We were just nervous. This is probably the first date either of us has gone on, and we're friends. I don't want to risk what we have already. He's a good guy."

Amy blew a raspberry and stood up, ruffling my hair like I'm a four year old. "You just keep telling yourself that honey, if it helps. Well, I'm going to bed. Buenos noches, mi compadre." She bounces into her bed and grows still immediately.

I glare at the back of her head for a solid five minutes before going back to my book. I'd guess I'd better get used to it; the whole female population of the mansion will know about my 'date as friends' by lunch tomorrow. I'll be getting more attention than I'll be able to choke down.

Again, just an average day at Xavier's School for the Gifted.

* * *

><p><em>AN: A fun little idea I had, and this isn't the last time you'll see this. Dispersed through the story will be 'Day in the life of…' chapters so we can get some insider perspective on the characters. As always, I hoped you enjoyed!_


	20. Chocolates and Roses

_Disclaimer: I don't need a disclaimer because I actually own the universe. You see, I'm God. _

**Chapter 20 – Chocolates and Roses; who needs 'em!"**

Aqua was having a rather interesting dream, most likely in anticipation for the following day. She imagined she was in a fancy room, the kind where the snobbish rich people held pointless parties in the James Bond movies, giving good ol' 007 the chance to infiltrate and foil their evil master plans. Black tuxedoed waiters shuffled about holding champagne and hors d'oeuvres on silver trays. She grabbed for a champagne glass but when she sipped it, it was just apple juice. When she looked down she noticed that she was dressed in her training suit. Odd. Then she began to spot her teammates all over the room. Kurt and Carter were dressed in rapper get ups and breakdancing. Jon was up on stage singing in a Frank Sinatra voice. Jean and Scott were shamelessly making out in public, while everyone else was dancing in all various forms in the middle of the floor, all and sundry wearing colorful party hats. Remy and Rogue were doing the tango, Bridget and Peyton were prancing about in a crazy folk dance, Kitty and Piotr were doing a lovely ballet set together, and everyone else was doing the hokey pokey while Storm and Logan DJ'd.

Then Jon shushed them all and held his hand out toward Aqua. _"This next one is for my beautiful girlfriend Aqua." _Suddenly the stage morphed into the stage at a rock concert as a screaming song blasted out of the gargantuan speakers. The dynamic steadily got louder and the tone screechier until it began to break the barriers of the dream. And then she was literally blasted out of dreamland.

Aqua flew out of bed in a panic as the mansion's emergency alarm wailed through the building. The sky outside their window was still dark. The clock on the nightstand read about 4:45am. Peyton had already shaken the undisturbed Noa from sleep, the tiny blonde's eyes huge with fear and confusion.

Aqua scrambled up, shivering a bit in her long-sleeve flannel shirt that fell to her mid-thighs. "Come on guys, let's go!" She yelled, yanking open the doors and pounding out into the hallway. All along the girl's hallway doors were flying open with cries of bemusement and fear.

Aqua ran for the main stairwell. What could be going on? A fire? An attack!

She descended to the second floor where the more experienced students lived.

"Scott, what's going on!" she called to their team leader as he thundered down the hall in his pajamas.

"I don't know. Everyone downstairs!" He led the stream of students, new and old, down the stairs in a barely controlled stampede.

They all crowded in the foyer, unsure what to do next; find the teachers, get outside, suit up, escape, what?

Suddenly the lights turned on, causing them all to cringe. They blinked to adjust their vision, searching for the threat. None could be found. The only thing to be seen was Logan standing by the control box on the west wall and checking his watch.

"Two minutes; good response. Okay, drill over, go back to bed."

The silence became very thick as they all blinked blankly at their most brash mentor. Tsarina seemed to sum up their words and thoughts the best. The pale girl, tousle-haired with her thigh length black nightdress rumpled, slipped him an elegant middle finger before ascending the stairs again with a figurative thundercloud raging over her head. Normally Wolverine would have not tolerated the flippant disrespect, but he seemed to know it was warranted and just smirked. Besides, she would most likely be repaid her snub in the DR later. With growls and barely suppressed cusses the crowd of pissed off but too sleepy to do anything about it teens began to trickle back upstairs.

"Hey Aqua." She twisted around to see Jon coming up behind her, wearing a white wife beater and a pair of sweats. Before she could return the greeting he put a finger to his lips and pulled her, of all places, into a closet. He pulled the tiny chain for the light bulb, so they could actually see each other.

"Sketchy Jon," Aqua smirked. "Next on the agenda, we should commandeer the hydrangea bushes out back to further peruse this venture of sixth grade kinkiness. Maybe we'll even _kiss_ with our actual _lips_." She adopted a horrified look and put her hands over her mouth at the thought of such sinful promiscuity.

He tweaked her nose, eliciting a small yelp from her. "Very funny babe. Would you like to continue teasing me or do you want to hear my brilliant beyond brilliant idea?"

"Did you just quote 'The Parent Trap'?"

"Yes I did," Jon replied. "Now do you or don't you?" There was a twinkle in his eye, quite a lively one for such a freakishly early hour of the morning. She crossed her arms and leaned her weight on one foot. Trying to ignore the fact that she was wearing no pants. In front of him.

"Sure, have at it."

Jon motioned out the door. "I say we make use of this unexpected wake up call. Go get dressed and we'll head out early for our first Valentine's Day as a couple."

Aqua's eyebrows rose. "You're serious?"

"Yeah, totally. This way we'll be out of the house before all the craziness starts, we'll get first pick of the cars, and I doubt Logan will postpone the DR just for Valentine's Day. Give him a little payback for the heart attacks if we don't show up."

The more Aqua heard, the more she liked the idea. The benefits seemed to outweigh lost sleep and Logan's wrath. "But where would we go at five in the morning?"

Jon's grin grew. "I have a special place in mind. Also, it's better if we leave early, because it will take a while to get there." His girlfriend's brow line rose even further up her forehead. Her smile was growing with it.

"Think we can pull it off?"

"Yeah; I have a room to myself and even if you're roommates find out about it, we both know they won't tattle." He pulled open the closet door and let them both out. "Now go get dressed." Then he seemed to pause, giving her a slow once over. "Or you could just stay like that; that would be perfectly fine with me."

He barely managed to dodge her swat, but she hurried off with a grin. Fifteen minutes later a soft purr rumbled through the garage as a sleek silver car pulled out of the drive, absolutely unnoticed.

* * *

><p>The sweaty inhabitants emerged from the Danger Room session with much displeasure. Their early drill had left them irritable and unfocused, so no one escaped a whipping in training. Showers somewhat lightened the moods as they moved past early morning physical education and to the rest of the day they had off from classes, to spend as they would.<p>

"Where were Jon and Aqua? Our numbers weren't even and I ended up fighting Logan!" grumbled Lyle. He was glad to be back in training, but having to fight Wolverine off his game wasn't very good for his slowly returning health.

Peyton, who was first in the kitchen for breakfast, let out a simultaneously amused and outraged shout. "Jon and Aqua pseudo-eloped on us!"

"What?" The students crowded around the gigantic refrigerator to read the sticky note left to them.

_Went out early. Be back around dinnertime. Happy V-day. _

_-J & A _

"They ditched us in the DR on purpose!" Bobby sounded truly offended.

"Actually, I t'ink Lovebirds 2.0 had de right idea," Remy conceded, "First pick o' cars and no Danger Room."

Scott shook his head. "That was still irresponsible. They can't just ditch the team whenever they feel like it."

Rogue scoffed. "You're just jealous ya didn't think of it first Cyke." Bridget laughed, flipping a piece of toast in her fingers. The blonde looked down at herself; she didn't think her outfit was that bad: a dark red button up shirt over a white cami with skinny jeans. Casual but complimenting.

There was a sudden shifting two seats over as Lyle slid in, sandwiching Dalaja in between himself and Bridget.

"Hey Dala, I was wondering if you would want to be the lucky girl that gets to be my Valentine's date this year?" He cocked an eyebrow and slashed out a wide devil-may-care grin. Dala stuttered in an acceptable impression of a motorboat, her cheeks going rather red.

Bridget decided to enact a best friend unrequested intervention. Lyle, while an excessive joker, was a nice guy. He and Dala would probably have fun together even if they didn't hit it off romantically.

"Sure, she'll go."

Dalaja whipped her head around, about to tell Bridget no she wouldn't, when Lyle took his opening.

"So how about the movies and then the park? The daffodils and spring flowers are coming out. The day should be nice." It was an innocent enough time out, just a little fun with some relaxing time. Dala imitated a fish for a few seconds before she closed her mouth.

"Alright Lyle, I will go."

He grinned pleasantly; not one of his usual mischievous ones, but a nicer more genuine one. "Great. We'll go around ten, 'kay?" She nodded and he allowed her space, sliding back out of the breakfast nook. Dala glared at Bridget for a moment, but the blonde only shrugged.

"Just give it a chance. Trust me, you'll have fun. Now excuse me, I have to go."

Bridget darted out of the kitchen and headed for the garage. Grabbing the black and magenta bike Leo had sent for her birthday she pedaled down the drive and out the gates. The crowds of mutant haters had all but disappeared from the vicinity over the past month or so. What with the entire craze with the Ravens, she guessed, people hadn't found much to accuse mutants of that was worth pounding on the gates in a mob. Not that she had been there to know for sure. Bridget frowned; there was a stirring from the inner darkness, but the beast had been tamed at long last. It went free on her word alone.

The ride across town was calming, and the sun had risen fully into the sky by the time she reached the Brotherhood house. The day promised to be breezy, but the perfect mix between warm and cool.

Bridget hesitated a little on the front stoop before knocking. The first time she and Lian had gotten together hadn't been that awkward. They had just sat out back of the Brotherhood house beneath a shaggy tree for several hours. Things came out that hadn't been expected. She told him of how her parents had turned their backs on her because of her powers and the few months she'd spent on the run. She told him of the daily struggle against her powers and how she'd tried to be normal and herself no matter how hard it got. He in turn told her of his darkest secret that she already knew: how his powers had murdered his parents the night they manifested. Lian said that he had determined he most likely suffered from sociopathic disorders, but somewhere inside he did regret what he had done. His greatest regret though was never saying goodbye to his older brother back in Romania, leaving him with little to no answers of what had happened to his family.

"I understand why you feel that way Emilian," she had said. "Maybe it wasn't right to just end things with my family like I did, but now I know that I shouldn't dredge up the past; it's over and done. At least for now. Maybe one day we can go back, make amends for everything that's happened. We're just not ready for that yet." He had only smiled, but it was the warmest expression she had ever seen on him. It made him more human.

Now she waited at the door for it to be opened. At last it swung open, and she had to jump out of the way as Wanda barged past.

"If they follow me, blast them hard," the witch hissed at her as she rushed off down the sidewalk.

"Aw come on babycakes, come back!" Toad called plaintively from where he hung out the window.

"Yeah sheila, I got ya some fiery Valentine's lovin' for you right here!"

Bridget rolled her eyes and moved into the house. Lance emerged from the living room, looking cleaner than usual.

"Oh, hi Bridget. I thought you might be Kitty for a moment."

"Nope, just me." She shrugged.

Lance jerked his thumb back to the room behind him. "They're in there. See you." She nodded thanks and walked past him.

Michael, Azula, and Emilian were hanging around the living room. Michael was trying to fix the television with little success while Azula chuckled every time he swore in anger. Bridget found she didn't mind the two. They were an inseparable duo, playing off each other in a way that showed that they had been together for a long time, though technically they weren't dating.

"Why don't you try hitting it with a wrench Michael?" Azula asked pleasantly. "It might be the only thing that will work by now."

"Oh shut it Zee. I'll figure this out. God damn, when did they get this TV, the Renaissance? Hey Bridget," he called from beneath the TV. Azula looked up and nodded to the blonde. The shape shifter had cut her hair, accentuating the girl's sharp features. Bridget was reminded why she respected the German girl; everything about her seemed dangerous.

Emilian sat on the arm of the couch, watching the banter between his two friends. His eyes met Bridget's and even though he didn't quite smile, there was more warmth in his gaze.

"Hello Bridget. What are you doing here?"

She shrugged, trying not to seem bashful. "Everyone back at the Institute is going nuts. I thought I'd drop by, see what's going on."

Michael let out a chuckle. "What's happening is that as soon as I bring this TV back from the dead we're heading out to cause some mild mayhem. It's been too long since we had just a little fun. Why don't you come with Ms. X-man?" He asked her teasingly.

"I don't think breaking and entering or grand theft auto would be my ideal activity for the day."

Azula seemed amused by something Bridget didn't see. "Oh, nothing like that. We were thinking more about some more minor things, for example, Michael is fairly decent at talking the pretty young ladies at the local country club into allowing us use of their luxuries. Technically, it isn't against the law."

Bridget couldn't help a grin. She loved mischief, and some part of her little devil side responded to the promise of reckless fun. "Sure. Good way to get out of the house."

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud cuss from Michael, who could make even the filthiest word sound like the ballad of a love poem.

* * *

><p>"So where are we going Cajun?"<p>

"Dat is for me to know an' you to find out chère."

"Just so long as we get out of that house and away from squealing girls."

"Many of whom are probably squealing about you an' me sneaking outta de house under their noses. How'll we ever endure the rumors?"

Rogue smacked her friend lightly on his shoulder, their conversation casual but precarious; casual because of the new ease that had grown between them over the past months, precarious because they were tearing along the road on his motorcycle at a speed that was nowhere near legal. She gripped the bag Remy had thrust into her hands before towing her rapidly out of the mansion with a hissed 'run!' She hadn't seen the reason for his escape attempt until she spotted the crowd of giggling females migrating down the hall towards them. Those without dates on Valentine's were subjected to something reminiscent of the Spanish Inquisition: Remy and Rogue had witnessed poor Alex being dragged beneath the hoard behind them. Rogue was grateful for the save, but didn't understand why Remy Lebeau of all people would need to escape them. He could get a date as easily as he could lift a Ringpop from Wal-Mart checkout.

Furious honks pursued them along the freeway as they zoomed beyond the outskirts of Bayville and westward. The stretch of road they were running along curved around a cliff side which in turn skimmed the edge of the Atlantic. Waves crashed below and Rogue felt uneasy as she looked at the long drop, taking into account their reckless speed.

"Hey Remy, think we should slow down a bit?" she called above the howling wind around them and the snarling of his bike.

"Don't tell me that the Rogue's afraid of a little speed?" She could practically hear the smirk in his voice, and longed to slap if off of him. Slapping the driver however, wasn't the wisest thing to do.

"No, but when I said I didn't know what I'd be doin' with my future, I wasn't taking becoming a grease spot on the pavement into account," she yelled back, right in his ear. He winced; good.

They continued roaring along the road, miraculously not getting pulled over for being street hazards, until at last the bike slowed down from hyperspace. Rogue threw him a questioning look and he merely smiled in an infuriatingly obscure way. They had pulled into a small gravel side path which abruptly ended as it was overtaken by thick woods.

"Alright, where the hell are we Remy?"

"Just follow me," he winked while taking the bag she held and swinging it over his shoulder. He strode off into the trees, the tails of his long coat swishing behind him and rustling the vegetation as he began to disappear. Rogue rolled her eyes and followed. She wasn't worried about being in a secluded place alone with him. She had confidence that she could rip his balls off and hand them back to him should he become fresh, and of course there was her mutation to take into consideration. She trudged off along the path he had crushed with his long legs and heavy boots, thin branches whipping at her.

She caught up with his leisurely stride easily, and the two hiked in silence for several minutes. At last, a fresh breeze began to whistle through the trees around them. It carried the taste of brine and endless water. When they emerged from the forest, Rogue found herself on a hidden beach. To the east a high extension of cliff face shielded the place from view, while the forest covered it from the west. Ahead of them and facing north, the Long Island Sound sent waves lapping up against the sand and pebbles.

Rogue smiled. What a perfect place to come on a day when you didn't want to be found and bothered. It offered a beautiful and peaceful place to just _be. _

"How'd you find this Remy?" she asked as they walked down toward the water line.

He shrugged. "When I was an Acolyte we had a lot of free time while Buckethead was makin' his master plans. Stumbled across dis one day while hiding from St. John. I think dat was the day he lost his meds or something."

Rogue took a subtle double take. Neither Remy nor Piotr ever spoke of their days as Magneto's followers if they could help it. She could understand Pete; he had been forced into it after all. But she didn't know Remy's reasons for following Magneto, or why he seemed so reluctant to speak of it anymore. He had never seemed ashamed during his time with the militant mutant.

The two settled onto the sand. Upon opening the bag Rogue found enough food to satisfy them for the whole day, as well as beverages.

"Been in Logan's secret stash again?" She waved the bottle of alcohol in his face.

He snorted in contempt. "If dat's what he thinks is secret then let's pray he's never put in charge of those capture the flag exercises; he'd plant it on top of a hill and spray paint it yellow for all he can hide stuff."

"Not all of us grew up in a house of thieves, so we aren't used to hoarding our stuff like they're the Crown Jewels." She popped the cap on a Coke can. Rogue shivered a little as a breeze nipped at her bare shoulders that were left uncovered by her purple shirt. Remy eyed her before slipping out of his trench and offering it to her.

"No thanks." He was only wearing a t-shirt underneath the coat, and she wore long sleeves.

"C'mon Rogue, it bruises a gentleman's ego when a lady won't accept his coat."

Rogue snorted. "A gentleman huh? That's what you're going for now?"

"Is it working?" he asked, fixing on the look of a kicked puppy as he shook the coat at her again. Rogue sighed and took it. She didn't feel up to initiating one of their banter sessions, which could last a very long time if they so wished. "But won't you get cold?"

"Nah, I'll be fine." He leaned back on his elbows and crossed his ankles, clutching a beer in one hand. Rogue slipped her sleeves into the toasty warm coat, glad in the end that she'd taken it.

They didn't feel the need to talk, so they simply sat and gazed into the sky, watching puffy cumulus clouds churn among the endless blue in flashes of silver and snow-white, an ever-changing painting. Before long, they both lay back on the sand, side by side, pointing out different shapes in the clouds. But before long Remy began to tease her, pointing out supposed images in the clouds that would have had any Freudian worth his PhD raising his eyebrows.

"Is it physically possible for you to remove your mind from the gutter for any length of time Remy?" she asked as she slapped him for the fifth time in two minutes.

"I was raised in a gutter, why should I get out now?" he asked with amusement, taking another slurp from a Coke. Rogue had wrested his second beer from him, reminding him that he was driving them home.

Rogue rolled her eyes at him before digging back into the bag. She withdrew the last ice cream sandwich from the bag of ice and unwrapped it. Before she could take the first bite, with a whisk, it was gone.

"T'anks chere," Remy said as he bit into it.

He yelped as her foot collided painfully with his side, and his grip loosened on the sugary goodie. Rogue pounced on it like a puma. With breathless sputters Remy leapt up after her as she took off down the beach, trying to keep her rightfully won prize away from him.

"Lemme go!" she screeched as he caught up to her and flung her lithe frame over his shoulder. Rather than admit defeat, Rogue crammed the whole sandwich into her mouth.

"Thuck utt!" she spat out her garbled snub of defiance, sticking out her chocolate cookie-coated tongue from where she dangled upside down in his grasp.

Remy burst out laughing, his frame shaking as he saw her defiant, furious face with its bulging cheeks.

Rogue, upon swallowing her giant mouthful, scowled at him. "Yeah, yeah, yuck it up Swamp Rat." Not once during the rowdy exchange did she think of his past, or of her poison skin. Nor did it occur to either of them as they lasted out the rest of the day on their private beach, just being themselves.

* * *

><p>"Come on Jean, we're going to be late!"<p>

"Relax, I'm almost done." Indeed, several seconds later Jean emerged from the bathroom. Scott admired her in the pale green skirt and sunny yellow blouse. Combined with her bright red hair, she seemed warm and spring-like. Even her sweet, clean scent and perfume added to the warmth surrounding her. But in a way, Jean was always like that.

"We going or what?" Jean asked cheekily, brushing a finger below his chin as she strode off down the hallway. Scott allowed a small smile to cross his face as he followed.

When they entered the foyer they found Inara and David talking.

"Hey Scott," David called, "would you mind giving us a ride? All the other cars have been taken."

"Sure, where are you headed?" he asked.

"The Bayville Gardens. I thought it would be nice for Inara." Inara grinned; apparently she agreed.

Scott pulled on his jacket and pulled his keys from the pocket. "Come on then, the gardens are on the way to the restaurant we're going to."

The four exited to the garage and climbed into Scott's convertible. With a smooth purr the vehicle rolled down the drive and out of the gates.

As they drove, Jean peeked into the rearview mirror at the younger students. They were friendly, but there seemed something guarded between them. She didn't have to use her powers to know that both teens had some type of connection; it reminded a lot of her and Scott when they had been younger. _Well, _Jean thought, _let's hope that if they do have feelings for each other that it won't take them as long to realize it as it took for me and Scott. _

David had been a little nervous about this. He and Inara were friends, if not extremely close, and he liked her a lot. He had assumed it would be awkward for them, but actually it was quite pleasant to spend time with her. As soon as Scott and Jean dropped them off and wished them a good time, Inara had taken off into the gardens with a new spring in her step. Among all the flowers and plants she was as happy as a five year old in a candy store.

The gardens had been a perfect pick. It wasn't especially large, but it was bursting with rows of new blooming flowers. Even though many plants were still bare from the winter, it didn't matter to Inara. With a single touch, flowers would burst forth from the branches, in far greater glory than they might otherwise have had growing on their own. Inara liked to tell him about all the different kinds of plants, which ones could be eaten or used to heal, and which ones were her favorites.

"Here, chew on these." Inara offered him a clump of clovers. "When you chew on them they taste a bit like apples." They were currently wandering along a path among the trees, viewing plants that grew naturally in the New England forests.

"Whoa, they do," he said as he nibbled on them. Then he looked up at his companion. "Do you know so much about plants because of your powers, or did you learn the regular way?"

Inara sat down on a mossy rock. Now was a good a time as any to rest for a bit. "After I got my powers I decided that I would need to know what I was dealing with. So I checked out tons of books from the libraries, took a botany class, familiarized myself with all kinds of plants. And the more I learned, the more I felt in tune with everything. I knew how plants worked, how they survived, and what changed about them when I affected them. It really helped me even before I came here."

"I wish I could have done something like that," David said.

"Well, emotions are a lot harder to learn about than plants," she said. "For me it was all a matter of memorization and learning more. Back home in London, I liked to sit on the roof of our high rise when it was sunny, reading plant books while listening to my iPod. My favorite songs are usually 80's bands, but there was this one song I especially liked when learning plants. It was an old romantic song called the Moldau. It just seemed so in sync with nature when I listened to it." Inara sighed a little.

"I do miss home, but I'm glad I'm here. I've made new friends, played superhero to my heart's content, I'm the fittest I've ever been in my life, and I've learned so much." She stared off into the distance for a bit before turning back to David. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you think you made a good decision, coming to the mansion to train and learn?"

"Absolutely," David affirmed immediately. "I think that if I hadn't, I would have been in a far worse position now if I hadn't. The thing is, at first I didn't want to come. I thought I was really happy at home. But now that I look back, I think I was just scared to step out of my comfort zone. Mutants were still a very new thing to the world and the way things were kind of freaked me out. But when I blew up at a school assembly my parents said I didn't have the option; said it was for my own good. Now I can see it was."

Inara nodded, but a part of her still seemed perplexed. "What about being an X-man?"

David's face darkened a little. "Now that's a whole other question I think. Going to school and learning to control your power, that's all good and easy. But committing yourself to saving the world…"he trailed off.

"You wouldn't do it?" Inara asked, curiosity apparent in the inquiry.

"I would, but how deeply would you commit to it? Just until your powers are under control? A few years? Your whole life? Things aren't that crazy now and we haven't actually hit another Apocalypse scenario yet, if we ever do again, but one day they might be. And I'm not sure if I can pledge my life to that. I have other plans for my future, but what we have at the mansion is almost like a second family. Could we leave them, if the time came?" The tone of his voice was gloomy and rather unsettling.

Inara shivered a bit, a little from cold and for other reasons. The conversation had taken a turn into a seriousness she hadn't expected, and it was stirring something unpleasant in her gut. Suddenly, looking at only her brief months as an Xavier student and more importantly an X-man in training, it almost seemed as if she had unintentionally fallen into a pact that would be nigh impossible to break should she ever wish to leave. She shook her head. _Stop thinking nonsense girl. You're on a friendly date with a nice guy friend, stop dreading the day the world ends._

"Come on." She jumped up, her green coat bought before Christmas ruffling in the breeze. "There are more things to see, and the sooner I show them to you the sooner we can get lunch." The two left their deep discussions for another day as they hurried down the path, just enjoying the present.

* * *

><p>Aqua slipped her hand through Jon's arm as they walked down the street together. "I'd say you'd gone a little overboard today, but if I did you might not do it again. So I won't say it." He grinned at her as they wandered toward Central Park, New York City.<p>

As they drove in the predawn hours he had refused to divulge their location to her, so she had dozed off. When she had woken, the sun was rising as they were crossing over the Williamsburg Bridge. Her exact words at the discovery of their location were…

"Are you a dumbass? This far out, we're going to get in so much trouble!"

Thankfully, he hadn't been offended by this, laughing as he explained that he had cleared this with the Professor the day before. He just hadn't planned on leaving so early. She had rushed to apologize and sealed it with a peck on the cheek. So their day of fun had begun, first with breakfast in an old fashioned diner, then going up the Empire State Building to watch the morning brighten. This was the first time either had been in Manhattan, and they had indulged in all of the usual tourist activities. The New York hotdogs were especially enjoyable.

About now it was three in the afternoon and the couple made their way through the pathways of Central Park.

"What do you think is going on over there?" Aqua asked suddenly, pointing towards a large gathering around the park's amphitheater.

"I dunno. Let's check it out." He pulled her along as they converged with the crowd.

Jon nudged someone. "What's going on?"

The girl motioned to the entrance. "It's some kind of gathering of amateur performers, you know, unknown bands and young singers looking to get noticed. It should be good, even if just for YouTube hits of the super crappy groups."

Aqua and Jon looked at each other, exchanging grins, before moving along with the line. It was only two dollars a person to get in, and soon they milled among the many people come to witness possible new talent. There were no seats, just stone levels, so people could sit, stand, or lie down as they pleased.

The first band took the stage and began to play a Coldplay song. The music was surprisingly good, music interpreted in new and interesting ways, with several original compositions being played. Aqua found herself swaying to the music, her hand clasped in Jon's.

About an hour later, an announcer of some sort stepped on stage.

"Hey, how's everybody out there doing on this lovely Valentine's Day?" Applause echoed around the amphitheater. "Alright, now's about the time where we have a few special and brave volunteers from the audience come up and show us their musical talent. Is anyone feeling gutsy out there, let me hear ya."

Aqua shot her eyes to Jon, a gleam starting up that he easily interpreted.

"No, I know you're thinking it Aqua, it's not happening."

"Oh come on Jon, we've heard you sing and play guitar at the mansion, you're really good. You can do it. For me." She blinked her blue eyes at him angelically before waving maniacally. "HE'LL DO IT!" she screamed, gesturing largely at her stuttering boyfriend who attempted to mask her actions. Luck, however, was not on his side.

"It looks like we have a winner everyone! Come on up here kid."

Jon glared at Aqua, but couldn't quite manage it what with the dazzling smile she was giving him, excitement lighting her eyes. With a sigh he plodded up on stage. The announcer slapped him consolingly on the back.

"Don't worry brother, we've all been through that. It's just something we do for them. Now what are you performing for us today?"

Jon fixed his gaze on his smiling girlfriend before speaking. "If I could borrow a guitar, I have something in mind. This is for my girl Aqua."

He received more applause as he sat himself on a stood and fingered the guitar. The area went quiet for a moment, before Jon began to play.

"You touched these tired eyes of mine, and mapped my face out line by line, and somehow growing old feels fine…"

Aqua was rather shocked. Yes, she had heard him sing and play before at the mansion, but it had always been more playful and joking. Now she heard a whole new side to him. And his voice was simply amazing, with an edge of tenderness and emotion to it that only the truly professional artists could capture. She caught a glimpse of his green gaze watching her, a small smile quirking up his lips.

"I may not have the softest touch, I may not say the words as such, and though I may not look like much, I'm yours."

"Wow, is that your boyfriend?" A girl about Aqua's age asked as she watched Jon on stage.

"Yes he is," she answered proudly.

The girl sighed, a sappy but admiring grin growing on her face. "That is so romantic, and he is SO good. You're lucky you have a guy like that."

For a moment, Aqua wondered what the girl would think if she knew that Jon, and Aqua as well, were mutants. What would she think of Barricade and Elementress? Would she admire Jon's talents if she measured him as a mutant instead of a man? Aqua realized, rather surprised, that she didn't much care. Jon was hers, she was Jon's, they belonged among their friends, and that was all that really mattered.

She looked back up to the stage. "You have no idea how lucky."

"And though my edges may be rough, I never feel I'm quite enough, and it may not seem like very much, but I'm yours…"

* * *

><p>The sun was setting, twilight creeping over Bayville. It hadn't been the sunniest day, or the warmest, but it contained the promise that spring was on its way.<p>

Deep in the woods that surrounded the city, a rustling in the undergrowth signaled human movement. Two dark figures melted from the shadows and into a small clearing filled with long, soft grass. Silently, the two settled into the natural carpet, lying back and gazing up into the darkening sky.

Bridget never would have guessed six months ago that she could be relaxing in a dark forest, her powers at her control and command, with utter ease, with her head laid on the firm stomach of a supposed opponent two years her senior.

Surprisingly, Emilian seemed to like the physical contact. Of course he didn't say so, but he always seemed less tense if Bridget was close to him. She supposed that he was grasping at connecting to a world he had been emotionally cut off from for years; it was a likely reason he hung out with Michael and Azula in the first place. The reckless and fun mischief gave him a sense of belonging and emotion, which had been separated from him for so long. Even so, the two had eventually tired of the delinquent activities, leaving Azula and Michael to their pleasure. The woods had drawn them with their solitude, and as they light left it grew in appeal. So the two lay in contented silence, their breathing the only noise they made as they gazed upward.

Bridget spoke suddenly. "What do you think of the stars?"

Lian's head shifted so his dark brown eyes could meet her hazel ones. The color still seemed washed out from her body, her hair still rather ashy and her eyes pale, but the life had returned.

"That is a rather strange question to ask, isn't it?"

She shrugged, tilting her head back on his abdomen so as to view him almost upside down. "Sorry, it just popped into my head and I couldn't help but ask."

He smirked. "You seem to have a very strange mind." She rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

He thought for a moment. "I enjoy seeing them. Darkness is my territory, but a part of me is still human, and humans desire light over the dark. They are a part of both worlds for me: they can't invade my territory, but they seem to remind me that I'm not alone."

Bridget gave him a crooked smile. "You sound so wise, like Mr. Miagi or something. I was just going to say I like them because they remind me of jewels. Now I sound shallow."

Lian chuckled lightly. "You have a right to sound that way. You're still young, and despite the Ravens and everything else, you are still innocent. But, who is Mr. Miagi?"

Bridget sat up, patting his hand pityingly. "I forgot you don't get a lot of American pop culture references. You're cute that way."

His smile immediately left his face, followed by a thoroughly stony expression. "I do not appreciate being called cute."

Bridget raised an eyebrow but said nothing else. Inside though, she was laughing. She privately liked teasing him like that. Despite his scary demeanor, Bridget somehow knew he wouldn't hurt her. Not like he could anyway; with her new strengthened abilities she could lay him flat with one concentrated thought.

They fell back into silence again, Bridget sitting as Emilian lay back. The tension over calling him cute rapidly subsided and returned to tranquility. At some point, Bridget felt his fingers tentatively wind themselves in her hair, playing with them gently. She let him, feeling a growth of warmth inside.

At last, Bridget stood, looking up at the rising moon.

"It's just about curfew. I need to get home."

Emilian stood. "I'll take you." She nodded, laying a hand on his arm. With a swirl of darkness and a rush of cold, they emerged among the trees on the mansion estate. They arrived just in time to see a silver car pulling in through the gates. Bridget chuckled.

"Jon and Aqua had a long day. They're going to be zombies in the morning." She turned back to her companion. "Thanks Emilian, for the nice time."

He simply nodded to her with a small smile before he stepped back into the shadows, vanishing like he had never been there. Bridget was glad to be free of the Ravens, but she did miss that added bonus of shadow travel. It was hella convenient. Stepping out of the brush she made her way back to her home, smiling softly. For her, and most of the others, it had been a day well spent.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Hello, hello, yes I'm back. Sorry I disappeared for a while, but I was knocked flat by one killer cold and I didn't feel up to writing. But during that time I got to stew over my story ideas, milk my illness for all it was worth, and discover the awesomeness that is Grimm._

_Now, the couples you saw in this chapter are the ones I will be working with through season two at least, excluding the obvious love triangles. Some will go on into further seasons, some won't, but anyone outside these couples I won't be pairing with anyone yet. So don't jump on friendly encounters and scream romance! These romances aren't very serious yet, but they're still teenagers. They'll have time to mature._

_Lastly, next chapter we'll be seeing the THEME for Season 2. I don't have solid plots, but I have THEMES. Looking forward to seeing you back for the next installment. _

_Oh and one last thing. WHOOO! (Sounds of noisemakers and trumpets go off) I HIT OVER ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND WORDS! I know people have done it before, but I still see that as a big achievement, especially for a story with so many OCs. Thank you all for your reviews, without them I wouldn't have gotten so far! (I also deserve an award for probably the world's longest author note…) See ya!_

_WG23 _


	21. Things Can Change

**Chapter 21 – Things Can Change**

_Saturday morning in the Xavier Institute…_

"WHO USED UP ALL THE HOT WATER?"

"WE DON'T KNOW! WHO BESIDES YOU IS UP AT THIS HOUR!

"REMY!"

"IT WASN'T GAMBIT, HE'S STILL SLEEPING LIKE A ROCK. WOULD YOU PLEASE SHUT UP, IT'S SATURDAY FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

Peyton tried to mush her pillow down over her ears, but the shouted conversation between Kitty and some other male student was leaking through the fabric. She was tempted to head outside and break up the screaming match herself. Amy's music on regular mornings was barely tolerable, but disrupting her Saturday snoozing was right up there with murder and turning to PBS while the Rec room was inhabited.

Suddenly her cell phone rang, playing Queen's 'We Will Rock You' quietly. Drunk with sleep, Peyton slapped at it and checked the number. She frowned; it was Aqua. She stared at her roommate's motionless body hardly ten feet away before checking the text.

_Shut them up now before I do. I can't guarantee there will be survivors._

Moaning with the vigor of an injured cow, the tiny blonde hauled up and stumbled out into the hall and toward the staircase leading to the second floor.

"CAN IT, BEFORE AQUA COMES OUT HERE AND SETTLES IT! SHE SAYS SHE CAN'T GUARANTEE SURVIVORS!"

The squabbling went on for a second or so more before it finally died. Peyton could hear the gusty sighs of relief rising like a haunted choir throughout all of the third floor rooms. She rubbed her temples, trying to get her brain adjusted to the fact that she was up and moving before noon on a weekend. Unfortunately, she couldn't fall asleep again once she was up, so there went her plans for sleeping in late.

"Might as well get to the Eggo waffles before they are inhaled," she grumbled, clomping down the stairs. And seeing as she had extra hours under her weekend belt then she could finally get to an activity she had been planning for a while; she could finally program customized ringtones for all the mansion inhabitants on her phone.

She was biting into her fourth waffle and trying to find a funny ringtone for Jon when some of the early risers trickled into the kitchen. Kitty was one, laptop clasped under one arm with wet hair, and Logan. But Peyton doubted he slept more than half an hour anyway, so that was no surprise. The others were Roberto, Noa, and Masato.

Peyton couldn't help feeling a little awkward. She was very unsure of the etiquette that was used in the early mornings. She imagined it like being the only straight person in a gay bar for the first time, just hunker down and hope you don't make a breach in this etiquette, or else look like an idiot. So she stared straight ahead, munching on her waffle.

A beep came from the monitor on the wall, indicating someone at the front gate. At this hour it was probably the mail. Logan grunted. "Kitty, go get it."

"Busy," she passed off coolly as Masato drifted surreptitiously from the room.

"Roberto, go get it."

"Peyton's turn."

"Peyton, go –"

"Yeah I know," she said, standing up and leaving the room. Logan didn't care for any sort of drama unless the world was ending, so he just stuck the pin of responsibility onto whatever poor shmuck didn't say 'not it' fast enough. And as Peyton wasn't a morning person, she was considerably slower than the others. Another unfortunate toss-up was the fact that it was the weekend. When the mail came on weekdays then someone could just hit a button for the security and let the mailman through the gate, where he would then drop off the mail at the door. But on weekends everyone was either asleep or was not paying enough mind to do it, so the person stuck with mail-fetching duty had to walk all the way down to the gates to get the stupid things. And that trek was at least half a mile.

So she slumped gloomily down the endless drive, dwarfed in one of Carter's giant grey hoodies. It was still pretty chilly toward the end of February despite the slightly warmer weather they had been getting, and Carter's huge sweaters gave Peyton the impression of still being in bed. Besides, she could guarantee Carter wouldn't be out of bed for another four to five hours, so he would never need know she borrowed it.

Peyton finally reached the gates and was rewarded with the sight of a fat stack of mail. Picking it up she started back, while starting to riffle through the envelopes. She stopped. There were many identical envelopes with the name of a different Institute student on each one. Flicking through them she saw that her name was not among them. Neither were several others, like most of the original X-men and Jamie. Jon, Aqua, and Carter couldn't be found either.

"_So just the high school students then." _She checked, and sure enough, the letters were from Bayville High. Peyton picked up the pace as she headed back to the mansion.

More people had rolled into the kitchen by this time. Peyton sat down next to David who was yawning widely over his bowl of Fruit Loops.

"Hey David, check it out," she said, handing him one of the letters that had his name on it. He blinked and took it.

"From the high school?" he asked perplexedly. Peyton nodded as he tore it open. She waited as he read through it, becoming more curious as his face took on a stunned and apprehensive expression.

"What's up with your face David?" Bobby asked as he sipped his orange juice. For the moment he was ignored as David picked up the other letters. They all looked the same.

"Guys, listen to this." He began to read aloud the letter.

_Dear Student of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters,_

_We extend you the invitation to return to Bayville High school after this prolonged period of suspension. The Board of Education has been undergoing serious debate; a decision has been made dictating that mutants returning for the spring trimester will be declared participants in a social experiment for the organization of public education. If you decide to return, mutants will be guaranteed strict protection from all forms of bullying, harassment, and ridicule._

_If you accept the offer of reenrollment, meet with Bayville High's new principal, Ms. Justine Delphi, on Sunday February 24__th__ at 1:00 pm to discuss any and all questions. We hope to see your return._

_Sincerely, _

_The Board of Education_

David looked back up at those few gathered in the kitchen. Glances of confusion were being tossed around, with a bit of hope.

"What does that mean; social experiment?" Alex asked having entered just as David had begun to read.

David shrugged. "I'm not totally sure. I think the best way to find out would be to meet up with this new principal. Hope she's better than the last one." David's mouth turned down bitterly at the memory of his first and last day at the high school.

"What's going on?" Kurt asked as he entered.

As the students trickled in at intervals, they were each given their respective letter and read through them. Kitty rushed off to show the professor as the rest of the high school students babbled about what this might mean.

"Wow, they were cutting it close," Amy said as she read it again. "The twenty fourth is tomorrow. Maybe they were hoping we wouldn't get these so we wouldn't show up."

"I believe we should look on this turn of events as an opportunity." They all looked up as the professor entered. "This is unexpected, but not entirely unwelcome."

"I don't know Professor," Inara said. "This didn't work out so well for us last time, and with things still so tense, it might be a bad idea."

He nodded in acknowledgement to her concern. "Nevertheless, this could be a chance to move forward with mutant acceptance. None of you are required to return of course, but if you feel ready to give public education another chance, you should make sure your schedules are clear tomorrow at one."

The high school students glanced around. This might be a chance to return to some form of normality. Then again, it could be opening another doorway to more abuse. Still, the letters said they would have a new level of protection if that condition was honored, and this could really help mutants if it went right. Simply meeting with the principal couldn't hurt anything, could it?

* * *

><p>"Mail's here!"<p>

A whirlwind shot through the Brotherhood's living room, envelopes slicing like ninja stars through the air. St. John yelped when he was hit in the chest with something. "All right!" he yelled as he held up the magazine.

"Newest issue of _Playboy_?" sniped Azula, who caught the letter that came zooming at her without even looking up from her book.

"_Pottery Barn_ actually," Pyro said as he flipped open the sleek pages. Azula gave him her usual disdainful raised eyebrow followed by a dismissive eye roll. She examined the letter that was addressed to her.

"Who the hell would be writing to me?" she whispered to herself as she ripped it open. The shape shifter read through it, before looking up and yelling up the stairs. "MICHAEL! COME HERE!"

* * *

><p>The mutants huddled nervously outside the principal's office in the empty high school, but they put on stoic faces. After all, it was only high school. They had faced a powerful sorceress for crying out loud, they wouldn't be cowed by public education. Professor Xavier waited patiently, trying to send out an aura of calm to his students. He was proud of them for the courage they were displaying. Facing public school again might not have seemed like a great challenge on the outside, but sometimes it was easier to face bodily danger than the trials of hate and discrimination.<p>

The principal's door swung open, showing a tall dark-skinned woman with rectangular glasses and sharp features.

"Come in," she said in a rather husky voice. The professor entered first, his students filing in behind him.

The woman, who they could easily assume was the new principal Justine Delphi, straightened her dark blue jacket as she went to stand behind her large desk. She waited silently as they all filed in and grew still. Among their number were several mutants who hadn't previously attended the high school. Masato was one, leaning up against the wall, wary of sitting down for fear of breaking the furniture. Another was Tsarina, who, despite her normally aloof mannerisms, was hovering near the back trying to remain inconspicuous. She was one of the most obviously distinguishable mutants of the group with her bleached skin, black lips, and luminescent eyes.

The shifting finally ceased among the gathered group, and Ms. Delphi at last saw it fit to speak.

"Welcome everyone. If you have all received your letters then you'll know the essentials of what this meeting is about. I think it would be best if I skipped the recap and just inquire as to whether or not there are questions you need answered before you make your decisions?" The woman's slightly raspy voice was brisk and down-to-business, though not harsh. She seemed to have no issue with the fact that she was in a room full of mutants.

The Professor nodded, speaking up first. "Thank you Principal Delphi, both for your hospitality and for this opportunity. Firstly, would you mind explaining in more detail this 'social experiment' the letters mentioned?"

"Of course," Ms. Delphi said, but before she could continue the door swung open again. They all turned, and the students were surprised to see Morpheus and Zenia in the doorway. They said nothing, remaining quiet in the back. It hadn't occurred to the Institute mutants that the Brotherhood had received invitations as well, and apparently only Michael and Azula had deigned it worth their time to come down and check things out.

Ms. Delphi showed no sign of annoyance at the interruption, merely nodding to the newcomers and picking up where she left off. "The social experiment mentioned is fairly simple, though only in theory. It is merely the town board's first true attempt to assimilate mutants into mainstream education. The months following mutants' first appearance in the public eye, as you know, were shaky at best. School boards and staff didn't know how to react to the new denomination, and personal prejudices and fears were an unfortunately large source of many of the hardships mutant students had to face in the time following their emergence. Now that time has passed, the Board of Education has decided it is time to make a genuine effort to bring mutants back in. Young mutants are still adolescents that require education, and that is not something we can ignore."

The professor nodded along. "A logical conclusion and one I find admirable. It is encouraging that steps are being taken to normalize the current situation," he said, vaguely referencing the tense state of relations these days.

"Our situation is half the reason I requested the leading position at this school," Ms. Delphi said. The students watching the exchange could catch the rising approval and slight surprise in their mentor upon learning that this woman had asked for her position specifically. The first student hand to go up in inquiry was Inara's.

"Yes?" Ms. Delphi asked, motioning to her.

Inara bit her lip a bit nervously, but asked anyway. "If you don't mind my asking, but what happened to the former principal?"

Severe distaste, perhaps even disgust, slid across Ms. Delphi's face at the question, and she responded in a clipped manner which obviously showed her dislike of the subject of the question. "Mr. Dartworth was convicted of several offenses, including vandalism, disturbing the peace, and assault and battery. Apparently, the good principal was caught associating with a local gang prone to violence against known mutants. As far as I know, he's serving several months' time in prison."

The students glanced around; some were non-too-subtly smirking at each other, David and Inara most obviously. Michael and Azula were flat-out sniggering in the back.

Xavier ignored the righteous mirth behind him, instead steering the questions back to the conditions of reenrollment, allowing his students their slight victory. "Most importantly, the invitations mentioned bettered protection against all bullying and harassment?"

"Yes," the tall woman nodded. "That was one nonnegotiable aspect of this trial period your students are being granted if I secured the position of principal at this school. I don't abide any kind of vocal or physical displays of prejudice, whether it is due to race, gender, sexuality, religion, or in this case, whether the student is mutant or human. But it isn't a one-way restriction." Here she turned her eyes onto the students. The gaze was stern but not unkind. She was speaking seriously, and expected to be taken seriously. "I have seen mutants struggle against bigotry and I admire that defiance, but being wronged doesn't give you the right to turn about and do the same. The remainder of the year is a trial period for you all; how you act, and how well this school functions under the experiment's temporary rules will determine whether you will be invited back next year. I'm hoping that the experiment is a success and mutants will become accepted, but that all depends on you. Rules can't protect you from everything, and you need to be willing to make the effort, no matter how difficult, to make this work. Change is hard and can require sacrifice, even for just your pride. If you return here, I have to have your word that you'll be as obedient and respectful to your fellow students as they should be to you. Any misdemeanor on _either_ side, I will hold accountable. Understand?"

All the teenagers nodded, feeling the need to show their sincerity. Michael faintly snorted and Azula rolled her eyes, but in the end they too nodded, albeit a bit reluctantly. Principal Delphi gave a small smile of approval before straightening back up again. The professor asked a few more questions, mostly concerning how to assimilate the academic work the young mutants had done at the mansion during their suspension into their school grades, and getting into classes in the middle of the year. By one forty-five, the principal and professor were shaking hands, and then Xavier and the teenagers left the office. They hadn't even left the empty school hallways before the teens were talking, trying to decide on what to do.

"I liked her," Inara said as she spoke to Alex. "She seemed like the kind of person to play fair, and no-nonsense. I can't see any bullies or prejudiced parents pushing her around."

Alex nodded in agreement, before turning his head to look at the two Brotherhood members. They had fought together, but the new X-Men and the new Brotherhood weren't exactly on chummy terms at this point. The closest to come to that was Bridget, and even then she wasn't inviting them out for smoothies or anything.

"So you're considering coming to school too?" he asked hesitantly. He directed the question mostly toward Michael, because Azula walked with her head held high, not really looking at anyone. Michael shrugged, in his perpetual half-smug half-playful manner.

"Got the letters; figured, why not? At least until the next doomsday event rolls around, got to have something to do in this one-horse town."

"Funny," Lyle said from a few feet away, "I didn't really figure Brotherhood people as the academic types."

"And why not?" Azula questioned icily, turning towards the ginger with an imperious glare. "Just because we don't suck silver spoons in that mansion with your lot doesn't mean we want to spend our lives and talents flipping burgers at Gut Busters. Not all of us have healthy allowances to ride off of," she snipped. Lyle just held his hands up, slightly red in the face. Azula just sniffed huffily, grabbing Michael by the hand and towing him toward the exit. The handsome boy gave them a mocking shrug, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Well, that'll be fun," Amy said as she glared after them. "Having those two, Mister Oh-So-Hot and the Queen of Sheba as classmates."

Bridget chuckled. "They're not so bad. They're just acquired tastes is all." Amy rolled her eyes, mouthing 'I highly doubt it'.

Nikolai shrugged, nodding at Bridget. "We can give them a chance; after all, they did fight with us against the Ravens."

Amy threw him a pitying gaze before slinging her arm around his shoulders. No small feat, as she nearly had to stand on her tiptoes to get her arm up there. "Nikki darling, there is a big difference between fighting for your life and loved ones with someone, and suffering through the academic torture known as high school with them. A _really_ big difference."

* * *

><p>Sunday evening came around quickly, and decisions were still being made on whether or not to attend. Some had decided to give it another try, Nikolai and Amy among them. Others were still wary: Inara's memories of her single day at that school didn't lead to a strong desire to return, and those with more physical mutations were having trouble deciding as well. But what was ultimately in mind was how much going back and passing this trial period could mean for their kind. Being at Xavier's had a habit of impressing a sense of action on those staying there, and knowing how much making this work could help mutants was a major factor flowing through their brains as they made their decisions.<p>

In the end, most had decided to give it a try. Noa wouldn't take classes there, being deaf and needing specialized teaching, and Peyton, who was not yet in high school, and the college students would alternate between home classes and the community college. Aside from that, everyone was willing to return to Bayville High.

"We're just gluttons for punishment, that's all," Bridget grumbled a bit, but she refrained from further negative comments as she saw how nervous Dalaja looked beside her. The newest students, unofficially dubbed the One-X team ever since their declaration of their team theme, were hanging about listlessly in the rec room, trying to appear casual before tomorrow's return. All necessary school supplies, sans books, were gathered and ready for an early start up in their dorms. Now it was just a matter of sitting with their decision and hoping they weren't about to step into another colossal mess.

They had found on the TV a news coverage of the new principal and some school board members speaking to the press about the decision to let mutants back in. It certainly wasn't a sanguine meeting. Angered shouts and hateful blurbs could be heard in the background as mutant acceptance was protested. Despite the hot environment, they had to admire Ms. Delphi, who maintained a cool and professional attitude throughout the whole meeting. She also had quite the glare whenever some overzealous protestor would attempt to heckle or disrupt her words.

"As I said before, whether the community is prepared for such a large change or not is irrelevant. The fact remains that mutants are very real, and despite some shortsighted opinions on the matter, they are thinking, feeling people just like humans. And being thinking and feeling people, it is necessary for adolescent mutants to receive an education just like anyone else."The Institute students found themselves silently cheering the statuesque woman on. It was such a welcome change to see a human actually willing to see their side.

A loud, bellowing voice shouted up from the back of the crowd. "And how exactly are you going to control these mutants once they're in school? How do you plan to keep our children safe from these people? What's the difference between a mutant walking into our school and a student walking in with a loaded firearm?"

"I don't intend to control them," Principal Delphi replied confidently, bulldozing over the furious shouts that threatened to rise. "I intend to work with them and try to make cooperation work. The difference, sir, between a mutant student and one that brings a firearm is the choice to bring and use that weapon.  
>A student that brings a loaded gun obviously intends to use it. These young mutants cannot simply leave their powers at home to be picked up at the end of the day, yet they still deserve a chance at a proper education. I assure you, measures have been set up for the safety of both mutant and human students."<p>

The crowd continued to yell questions and protests, but the mutants were gratified to discover several among the snarling crowd that seemed open-minded. One woman even stood and berated a man loudly for a particularly nasty slur he made.

"Maybe people who don't know what the hell they're talking about should keep their mouths shut about matters they don't understand! You're a white, American, middle class male. Of all people, I think you have the least authority to be talking about who is or isn't a trustworthy member of the community, and certainly not on the subject of segregation!" That woman received vigorous applause from her Institute audience.

The meeting continued to spiral about, bigotry warring against tolerance. It was still much more prejudice than lenience, but knowing it was there was encouraging. By the time the school gathered together for dinner, the teenagers were feeling better about their decision. However, that didn't mean they had let their guards down. Whatever hopes or misgivings they had now, tomorrow they would just have to play by ear, hope for the best, and be prepared for the worst.

* * *

><p>"Whole new chance at reform and I'm still stuck with Biology," Inara sighed dejectedly. She had just received her schedule alongside the rest of her friends. She was now trekking the mostly empty hallways toward the classroom. Tsarina was the only Institute member she had the class with, the schedules they had had at the beginning of the year having changed. Despite her recent, less-prickly behavior, the Romanian girl wasn't exactly a kindred spirit to mope with. She seemed too busy shooting glances around, moving quickly and as discreetly as possible. Inara couldn't exactly blame her. Over the weeks since the Ravens incident, Tsarina's appearance had slowly shifted back to its more unnatural state. Her skin was bleached white again, her lips pitch black, and her pretty brown eyes had grown translucent, and then had returned to their liquid shifting state. Inara wondered why they did that, but for now all she knew was that Tsarina was currently sticking out like a sore thumb, and she was obviously nervous about it.<p>

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," she tried to reassure. Tsarina threw her a look that she couldn't quite make out; it could have been anything from annoyance to gratitude, but the taller girl did attempt to relax her stiff shoulders.

The two found their classroom and slipped in. Inara had an unpleasant flashback to that awful first day at school as heads turned toward them. Yet unlike before, no jeers or snarls of dislike came their way. She could still see animosity on some of their faces, but the new rules, and strict disciplines enforcing them, kept the unfriendly comments and actions restrained. Inara let a small puff of breath in relief. Tsarina stayed very quiet, tailing the dark-skinned girl toward an empty desk where they sat side by side. There might be new rules now, but they weren't going to push it. Not on the first day.

* * *

><p>Alex glanced around his Algebra II class. So far, so good. This was a class he had alone, and he was surprised how nervous that fact made him. Facing violent mutant armies or mad sorceresses was fine, but facing a class full of silently hostile teenagers was what caused him to sweat bullets.<p>

"Ow!" he hissed quietly, raising a hand to rub at his chest. Whenever he got a phantom twinge of pain there, he tried very hard to turn his mind to other things. He didn't like thinking of how close he had come to death, and he honestly didn't feel like letting the fact sink in. He could still remember what cold metal in his chest felt like, and it was something he wouldn't admit he had begun to have nightmares about. What was important was that he was alive and kicking, so he found no point in dwelling on it, no matter how unnerved it made him when he was alone and there was no one to see. There was one advantage to the haunting experience of near death: it was a hell of a help straightening out his priorities. If he could take a knife to the chest and live to tell the tale, he could certainly survive high school.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the period, and the beginning of lunch break. He worked his way through the crowded halls, which was fairly easy seeing as the students seemed content to stay out of his way. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, being avoided like a leper, but at least he wasn't being harassed.

He passed directly through the cafeteria and headed outside for the quad, where his friends were gathered for the break, despite the chill air out there. It was best to take things slow, let the other students become accustomed to their presence again, and keep to themselves until things were more stable.

Alex plopped down, one of the last to arrive. The others didn't look as dejected as they had on their first day of school back in September, so things had to have gone better today. "How've things been?" he asked anyway.

Dalaja shrugged, nibbling on her chips and hummus she'd brought from home. "Alright I suppose. No one has said a word to us so far today, but it is better than the alternative."

Alex nodded, before looking at Tsarina and Masato. "You didn't have any trouble?"

Tsarina shook her head, looking rather sullen. Masato seemed less downtrodden, but probably because he wouldn't let anyone push him around, no matter whom they were. Alex smirked as he asked, "Break any chairs yet?"

Masato snorted deeply, biting into his plain turkey sandwich and swallowing before replying. "I asked to stand in most of my classes. The teachers didn't seem too pleased, but once I mentioned the threat to the furniture they decided that I was asking for the lesser of two evils."

A couple of the students snickered, mostly because of the mental image of what would have happened had Masato sat down. A calculating and intelligent person such as the Japanese boy just didn't fit with the image of a Pratt fall off of a broken desk chair.

David piped up from the end of the table. "Hey, did anyone notice the gym class thing on the schedule?"

Those who hadn't noticed pulled out their schedules and looked, but Dalaja had the answer. "Principal Delphi mentioned it during our meeting with her. It is one of those precautions I think. Mutant students are supposed to take P.E. class separate, because our powers require specialized teaching. I do not think it matters what grade we are in, as long as we still are required to take it."

"What do you guys think 'specialized teaching' means? Lava pits? Alligator pools? Boot camp torture?" Lyle said, eyeing the schedule as if expecting it to give him an answer to his question.

"It's not as if training with Wolverine is that far off," Amy reminded him. She out of all of them seemed least unnerved today, but that was probably a byproduct of having no shame and being proud of it.

Alex shrugged. "It's only the period after next, so I guess we'll find out soon."

When lunch ended they split up once more, again going back to the tense silence they maintained in their classes, trying to remain as unobtrusive as possible. They began to actually look forward to their P.E. class. At least they were all friends and could escape the stifling atmosphere.

There was a note on each of their schedules telling them to gather out on the football field for their first class. Everyone, besides the seniors Kitty and Kurt, were there, milling about as they waited to see what was in store for them.

"This everyone?" a strong voice asked. The fidgeting group all turned to see a man in his late twenties and dressed in workout clothes striding up. Around his neck was strung the traditional coach's whistle. The guy was a solid block of muscle; they could tell this wasn't some run-of-the-mill squalling gym teacher. He stood with his arms crossed, observing his new students. They all felt the need to stand at attention. Maybe the guy was former military or something?

At last he uncrossed his arms and spoke again. "So you're the mutants? Pretty big group, and not couch potatoes from what I can see. I'm Devin Shaw, your P.E. teacher, if the whistle and outfit didn't tip you off." Faint chuckles rose. "For the rest of the year I'll be working with you on your standard physical education lineup, but factoring in your powers. Obviously you pass certain limitations regular humans have, so I need to be able to understand your abilities in order to push you more toward your limits."

A hand, belonging to Sam Guthrie, went up. "Excuse me Mr. Shaw, but I forgot to ask in our meetin' with the principal; are we allowed to play sports here at school?"

Coach Shaw shook his head. "Not yet. This trial period is still a work in progress. Depending how well things go, certain restrictions will be lifted, or installed, by the school board as they see fit. For now, not knowing your powers and because of the displeasure of other student parents, mutants aren't allowed to sign up for sports teams, yet. In this class though, I'll work with you so you can get in your physical education, as well as learning about your powers. Maybe if the board feels they can identify illegal use of powers then you can get onto teams."

He paused, glancing over his students' heads. They turned around, and found they were being joined by Michael and Azula. They had wondered if those two had enrolled; they hadn't seen them all day, but apparently they had come nonetheless.

"Seven minutes late?" he inquired neutrally, eyeing the two. He didn't seem particularly put out, but it was obvious he wanted an explanation.

Michael shrugged carelessly, grinning lopsidedly. "Locker trouble, got lost, you know." It hardly sounded like any excuse. It more sounded like he was being purposely snide. Mr. Shaw stared for a while, but in the end didn't do anything about Michael's flippancy. He either decided it wasn't worth his time, or was just simply saving the matter for later.

"Alright then, why don't we start with some basic drills before we get to the big stuff?"

Coach Shaw ran them through some standard drills: a jog around the track, some tire runs, a few pushups and sits ups and so forth. Training with Wolverine for the past six months or more was no walk in the park, so faced now with standard drills the Xavier students passed with flying colors. Michael and Azula did fairly well for their part as well.

"Well, that's the boring stuff done," the coach declared. "Now for some fun." He led them over to one of those practice dummies football players used to work on their strength and tackling skills. He slapped it good naturedly. "I want each of you to try to move it somehow. I would prefer you to use your powers to do that."

The group heard Azula laughing quietly as Michael's face grew sour. "Tough luck Mikey. I don't think you'll be able to persuade it to move, no matter how sweet your silver tongue is."

"Why don't you start?" the coach asked, motioning to Masato.

The athletic boy nodded, pausing as if he was thinking. The whole group watched as the black stone texture spread over his skin, his silver-white hair hardening as if hoarfrost had overtaken it, turning it stiff and sharp. The coach watched with a mildly impressed expression before stepping back, giving the stone teenager plenty of room.

Without prelude, Masato charged forward, slamming his thick shoulder full force into the practice dummy. The resulting crash was near deafening. Masato slid to a halt, leaving deep furrows torn in the emerald green grass from where his heavy feet had dug in. The practice dummy, which was easily more than a hundred pounds, went flying across the field. It cartwheeled in a shower of dirt and torn green and white grass, rolling and clanking to a disheveled halt down in the opposite touchdown zone.

The mutants stared apprehensively at the coach, wondering if he would be angry at the damage done to the field. Rather than being angry though, the man let out an awed whistle.

"Man that is one literally killer tackle. You play linebacker with freight trains or something?" Masato shrugged one shoulder emotionlessly. The coach merely shook his head in awe again, before turning back to the stone-skinned mutant. "Well, since that one's trashed, think you could help me bring out a few spares? If you're the first, I can imagine we're going to need them."

He was right in that regard. Elemental and energy blasts, super strong tackles, and tangling vines had the dummies tumbling all over the field, tearing up the grass and sending blasts of dirt flying. They asked several times if they weren't causing too much damage, but the coach waved them off, saying they were planning on fixing up the field anyway. Several of the mutants didn't have the ability to move the dummies, so the coach just had them gather together and shove it over. Michael didn't seem at all pleased with it, and Azula laughing at him the entire time wasn't helping. In the end he got her back, abruptly grabbing her and kissing her in front of everyone. Of course she slapped him, but he seemed satisfied that his revenge had been had.

It was only when Coach Shaw was congratulating and dismissing them that they realized that, against all odds, they had really enjoyed themselves. It may have only been one class out of the day, but maybe it was a sign that with time, things can change.

"It may not have been the best day ever, but I thought P.E. was really fun," Bridget said as the group exited the school building at the end of their first day back.

"Yeah, if nothing else, at least we have decent people like Principal Delphi and Coach Shaw around," Inara said. She was smiling; she had a lot of hope for their second chance.

Amy added her half-expected comment. "Of course, it helps that the coach is built like Adonis, doesn't it girls?"

"Oh shut up Peanut Gallery," Bridget grumbled.

* * *

><p><em>AN: HEY Y'ALL, I'M BACK! This story seems to have periodic hibernation times or something doesn't it? I did not expect it to take this long to move on with this chapter. I guess moving out of state, lack of motivation, and rebooting my other OC series tends to get in the way of things. Add an extra period without internet and having to wait to post this puts in a little extra stall. Oh baby, how I hate to see you sit in Word documents, ready to go, after months of absence, and having to sit on this 'till the stupid internet comes back on. Grrrr. Oh well, so that's the THEME for this next 'season' of OE&NB: reintegrating into school. Again, this is a loose storyboard, so if anyone has any ideas they want to see here, send those babies in, I'd love to see them. I already have a couple I'm sitting on and can't wait to write. Until next update!_


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